How long does it take to read a 500-page book?
It can take from 5 hours to more than 20 hours to finish reading 500 pages. The time highly depends on how many words per page the book has. Reading speed and topic also do play a role.
I just recently tested this out with the paperback I am currently reading, and I was able to read 100 pages in just over an hour. That translates into 5 to 6 hours for a 500-word book. (My book had around 250 words per page, so it’s relatively small.)
In this post, we dive deeper into the different things that determine, how long it takes to read 500 pages.
We also have two tables that go through how many pages can you read in a given time. Let’s get started!
How long does it take to read a 500-page book?
Reading a 500-word book can take anywhere from 5 hours up to 20 hours or more. That depends on the book, words per page, as well as reading speed, and the topic of the book.
Even though words per page and reading speed are both significant factors, the book’s topic can also play a huge part.
Reading a fiction book does not take as much time and focus, compared to reading a book about a scientific topic or another non-fiction book.
You might even have to take notes when reading if the topic is something really important and you want to make your reading more efficient.
Next up, we have the first table that goes through, how many pages of a small book (with 250 words per page) can you read in different timeframes.
Table: how many 250-word pages in a given time
| Pages (250 words each) | 150 wpm (Slow) | 250 wpm (Average) | 400 wpm (Fast) |
| 1 | 1,7 minutes | 1 minute | 0,6 minutes |
| 2 | 3,3 minutes | 2 minutes | 1,3 minutes |
| 3 | 5,0 minutes | 3 minutes | 1,9 minutes |
| 4 | 6,7 minutes | 4 minutes | 2,5 minutes |
| 5 | 8,3 minutes | 5 minutes | 3,1 minutes |
| 10 | 16,7 minutes | 10 minutes | 6,3 minutes |
| 20 | 33,3 minutes | 20 minutes | 12,5 minutes |
| 25 | 41,7 minutes | 25 minutes | 15,6 minutes |
| 50 | 1,4 hours | 50 minutes | 31,3 minutes |
| 100 | 2,8 hours | 1,7 hours | 1 hour |
| 200 | 5,6 hours | 3,3 hours | 2,1 hours |
| 300 | 8,3 hours | 5 hours | 3,1 hours |
| 400 | 11,1 hours | 6,7 hours | 4,2 hours |
| 500 | 13,9 hours | 8,3 hours | 5,2 hours |
| 1000 | 27,8 hours | 16,7 hours | 10,4 hours |
The following table is the same, but each page is 500 words instead of 250 like in the first table.
Table: how many 500-word pages in a given time
| Pages (500 words each) | 150 wpm (Slow) | 250 wpm (Average) | 400 wpm (Fast) |
| 1 | 3,3 minutes | 2 minute | 1,3 minutes |
| 2 | 6,7 minutes | 4 minutes | 2,5 minutes |
| 3 | 10 minutes | 6 minutes | 3,8 minutes |
| 4 | 13,3 minutes | 8 minutes | 5 minutes |
| 5 | 16,7 minutes | 10 minutes | 6,3 minutes |
| 10 | 33,3 minutes | 20 minutes | 12,5 minutes |
| 20 | 1,1 hours | 40 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 25 | 1,4 hours | 50 minutes | 31,3 minutes |
| 50 | 2,8 hours | 1,7 hours | 1 hour |
| 100 | 5,6 hours | 3,3 hours | 2,1 hour |
| 200 | 11,1 hours | 6,7 hours | 4,2 hours |
| 300 | 16,7 hours | 10 hours | 6,3 hours |
| 400 | 22,2 hours | 13,3 hours | 8,3 hours |
| 500 | 27,8 hours | 16,7 hours | 10,4 hours |
| 1000 | 55,6 hours | 33,3 hours | 20,8 hours |
Can you read 500 pages in one day?
It depends on the book, whether you can read 500 pages in one day. Books with smaller pages with fewer words can be finished within just 5 hours, whereas larger books might take more than 20 hours for 500 pages.
Reading for 5 hours a day is doable if you have no other obligations after work or school.
A larger book with more words per page can take up to 20 hours or more. That might be really difficult to finish in just one day, especially if you are not really fast reader. (Check the table above).
Can you read a 500-page book in a week?
Reading a 500-page book or 500 pages of a book is completely possible. Even if you were really slow reader and the book has a lot of words per page, it is possible.
If we divide that 500 pages into 5 days, considering you can not read every day of the week or just take two days off, that means 100 pages a day.
Reading 100 pages a day will take you approximately:
- 1 to 3 hours daily, if one page has 250 words (smaller book)
- 2 to 6 hours daily, if one page has 500 words (larger book)
Here is a post on how to calculate your reading speed.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, it can take from 5 hours up to 20 hours or more to finish 500 pages of a book.
The factors that determine how long it takes are:
- reading speed
- words per page
- the topic of the book
- taking notes about the book
There are different ways you can optimize your reading and make it more efficient. I have a full guide on how to read efficiently. Check it out if interested.
Hopefully, this was helpful, good luck with speedrunning through that 500 pages.
Have a wonderful day!
