Reading time varies depending on the type of content and the person reading, but on average 50,000 words will take about 2.8 hours to read.
Documents with 50,000 words or more are usually full-length novels.
This time is an estimate and you may be able to read much faster or slower. Average adults read 300 words per minute (wpm) when pleasure reading. Technical material on the other hand such as textbooks, operating manuals, repair guides, or scientific research require focus which brings the average reading speed down to 125 words per minute. College students who need to skim textbooks and other reading materials typically need to be able to read at 400-450 words per minute.
Estimated Reading Times for Various Word Counts
The table below will tell you how long it will take to read various word counts at different words-per-minute (wpm) speeds. Use it as a reference, but your mileage may vary:
| Word Count | Slow (125 wpm) | Average (300 wpm) | Fast (450 wpm) |
| 125 words | 1 minutes | 0.4 minutes | 0.3 minutes |
| 250 words | 2 minutes | 0.8 minutes | 0.6 minutes |
| 500 words | 4 minutes | 1.7 minutes | 1.1 minutes |
| 600 words | 5 minutes | 2.0 minutes | 1.3 minutes |
| 750 words | 6 minutes | 2.5 minutes | 1.7 minutes |
| 800 words | 6 minutes | 2.7 minutes | 1.8 minutes |
| 1,000 words | 8 minutes | 3.3 minutes | 2.2 minutes |
| 1,500 words | 12 minutes | 5.0 minutes | 3.3 minutes |
| 2,000 words | 16 minutes | 6.7 minutes | 4.4 minutes |
| 2,500 words | 20 minutes | 8.3 minutes | 5.6 minutes |
| 3,000 words | 24 minutes | 10.0 minutes | 6.7 minutes |
| 3,500 words | 28 minutes | 11.7 minutes | 7.8 minutes |
| 4,000 words | 32 minutes | 13.3 minutes | 8.9 minutes |
| 5,000 words | 40 minutes | 16.7 minutes | 11.1 minutes |
| 7,500 words | 60 minutes | 25.0 minutes | 16.7 minutes |
| 10,000 words | 1.3 hours | 33.3 minutes | 22.2 minutes |
| 20,000 words | 2.7 hours | 1.1 hours | 44.4 minutes |
| 25,000 words | 3.3 hours | 1.4 hours | 55.6 minutes |
| 30,000 words | 4.0 hours | 1.7 hours | 1.1 hours |
| 50,000 words | 6.7 hours | 2.8 hours | 1.9 hours |
| 75,000 words | 10.0 hours | 4.2 hours | 2.8 hours |
| 100,000 words | 13.3 hours | 5.6 hours | 3.7 hours |
Reading Time by Page Counts
If you want to know how long reading various page counts will take at different words-per-minute (wpm) reading speeds, take a look at the table below. The type of content may determine how quickly you read as well:
| Word Count | Slow (125 wpm) | Average (300 wpm) | Fast (450 wpm) |
| 1 pages | 4 minutes | 1.7 minutes | 1.1 minutes |
| 2 pages | 8 minutes | 3.3 minutes | 2.2 minutes |
| 3 pages | 12 minutes | 5.0 minutes | 3.3 minutes |
| 4 pages | 16 minutes | 6.7 minutes | 4.4 minutes |
| 5 pages | 20 minutes | 8.3 minutes | 5.6 minutes |
| 6 pages | 24 minutes | 10.0 minutes | 6.7 minutes |
| 7 pages | 28 minutes | 11.7 minutes | 7.8 minutes |
| 8 pages | 32 minutes | 13.3 minutes | 8.9 minutes |
| 9 pages | 36 minutes | 15.0 minutes | 10.0 minutes |
| 10 pages | 40 minutes | 16.7 minutes | 11.1 minutes |
| 25 pages | 1.7 hours | 41.7 minutes | 27.8 minutes |
| 50 pages | 3.3 hours | 1.4 hours | 55.6 minutes |
| 100 pages | 6.7 hours | 2.8 hours | 1.9 hours |
| 250 pages | 16.7 hours | 6.9 hours | 4.6 hours |
| 500 pages | 33.3 hours | 13.9 hours | 9.3 hours |
| 750 pages | 50.0 hours | 20.8 hours | 13.9 hours |
| 1,000 pages | 66.7 hours | 27.8 hours | 18.5 hours |