How long does it take to read A Christmas Carol?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is 28,549 words long. At an average reading speed of 250 words per minute, it takes about 1 hour 54 minutes to read — an evening or two.
Reading time at your speed
Reading speed varies more than most people expect — the gap between a slow and a fast reader is more than double. Find your row, or take the reading speed test to get your real number first.
| Reading speed | Words per minute | Time to finish |
|---|---|---|
| Slowcareful reading, or reading in a second language | 150 wpm | 3 hours 10 minutes |
| Below averageunhurried, easily distracted, or a dense text | 200 wpm | 2 hours 23 minutes |
| Averagewhat most adults read at | 250 wpm | 1 hour 54 minutes |
| Fasta confident, practised reader | 325 wpm | 1 hour 28 minutes |
| Very fastskimming, or very familiar material | 400 wpm | 1 hour 11 minutes |
If English is your second language, expect to read a little below your usual speed on a classic like this one.
How long if you read a bit each day?
Almost nobody reads a novel in one sitting. Here is how A Christmas Carol breaks down at an average 250 wpm, depending on how much time you give it each day.
| Reading a day | Days to finish | That is |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 12 days | about a week |
| 15 minutes | 8 days | about a week |
| 30 minutes | 4 days | 4 days |
| 60 minutes | 2 days | 2 days |
How long is each chapter?
A Christmas Carol has 5 chapters, averaging 5,710 words — about 23m each. The longest is Stave III at 33m; the shortest is Stave V at 9m. Useful if you read a chapter a night.
Chapter times at 250 wpm.
You could start A Christmas Carol tonight
110 pages, level B2. Free on the 12-month plan, with a reading tracker, tap-to-translate vocabulary and a short quiz.
Common questions
How long does it take to read A Christmas Carol?
A Christmas Carol is 28,549 words long. At an average adult reading speed of 250 words per minute that is about 1 hour 54 minutes. A slower reader at 150 wpm needs around 3 hours 10 minutes; a fast reader at 400 wpm finishes in roughly 1 hour 11 minutes.
How many words is A Christmas Carol?
A Christmas Carol is 28,549 words across 5 chapters, which is an evening or two. Of the 26 classics on readClassicly, 21 are longer and 4 are shorter.
Can I read A Christmas Carol in a day?
Yes. At an average speed it takes about 1 hour 54 minutes, so A Christmas Carol is comfortably a one-day read — an afternoon, or an evening if you don't stop.
Is A Christmas Carol hard to read?
At CEFR level B2, A Christmas Carol is a moderate read, comfortable at upper-intermediate English. You can read it free at readClassicly and tap any word you don't know to look it up, which keeps a harder classic from stalling you.
Reading a classic to learn English?
readClassicly has a free plan for English reading for beginners: graded classic stories with tap-to-define words, audio, and a short quiz after each one. Start at your level and build up to full books like this one. If you are just starting, begin with the short English stories for beginners.