How long does it take to read Heart of Darkness?
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is 38,488 words long. At an average reading speed of 250 words per minute, it takes about 2 hours 34 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 | 4 hours 17 minutes |
| Below averageunhurried, easily distracted, or a dense text | 200 wpm | 3 hours 12 minutes |
| Averagewhat most adults read at | 250 wpm | 2 hours 34 minutes |
| Fasta confident, practised reader | 325 wpm | 1 hour 58 minutes |
| Very fastskimming, or very familiar material | 400 wpm | 1 hour 36 minutes |
These times assume you read English comfortably. Dense prose and period vocabulary slow most readers down, so if this is your first classic in English, plan for noticeably longer than the table says.
How long if you read a bit each day?
Almost nobody reads a novel in one sitting. Here is how Heart of Darkness 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 | 16 days | about 2 weeks |
| 15 minutes | 11 days | about a week |
| 30 minutes | 6 days | 6 days |
| 60 minutes | 3 days | 3 days |
How long is each chapter?
Heart of Darkness has 3 chapters, averaging 12,829 words — about 51m each. The longest is Chapter 1 at 58m; the shortest is Chapter 3 at 47m. Useful if you read a chapter a night.
Chapter times at 250 wpm.
You could start Heart of Darkness tonight
100 pages, level C1. 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 Heart of Darkness?
Heart of Darkness is 38,488 words long. At an average adult reading speed of 250 words per minute that is about 2 hours 34 minutes. A slower reader at 150 wpm needs around 4 hours 17 minutes; a fast reader at 400 wpm finishes in roughly 1 hour 36 minutes.
How many words is Heart of Darkness?
Heart of Darkness is 38,488 words across 3 chapters, which is an evening or two. Of the 26 classics on readClassicly, 18 are longer and 7 are shorter.
Can I read Heart of Darkness in a day?
Yes. At an average speed it takes about 2 hours 34 minutes, so Heart of Darkness is comfortably a one-day read — an afternoon, or an evening if you don't stop.
Is Heart of Darkness hard to read?
At CEFR level C1, Heart of Darkness is a dense, challenging read best suited to advanced readers. 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.