How long does it take to read Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is 121,905 words long. At an average reading speed of 250 words per minute, it takes about 8 hours 8 minutes to read — a substantial novel.
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 | 13 hours 33 minutes |
| Below averageunhurried, easily distracted, or a dense text | 200 wpm | 10 hours 10 minutes |
| Averagewhat most adults read at | 250 wpm | 8 hours 8 minutes |
| Fasta confident, practised reader | 325 wpm | 6 hours 15 minutes |
| Very fastskimming, or very familiar material | 400 wpm | 5 hours 5 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 Pride and Prejudice 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 | 49 days | about 2 months |
| 15 minutes | 33 days | about 1 months |
| 30 minutes | 17 days | about 2 weeks |
| 60 minutes | 9 days | about a week |
How long is each chapter?
Pride and Prejudice has 61 chapters, averaging 1,998 words — about 8m each. The longest is Chapter 18 at 21m; the shortest is Chapter 12 at 3m. Useful if you read a chapter a night.
Chapter times at 250 wpm.
Start Pride and Prejudice today
430 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 Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice is 121,905 words long. At an average adult reading speed of 250 words per minute that is about 8 hours 8 minutes. A slower reader at 150 wpm needs around 13 hours 33 minutes; a fast reader at 400 wpm finishes in roughly 5 hours 5 minutes.
How many words is Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice is 121,905 words across 61 chapters, which is a substantial novel. Of the 26 classics on readClassicly, 1 are longer and 24 are shorter.
Can I read Pride and Prejudice in a day?
Realistically, no. Pride and Prejudice is about 8 hours 8 minutes of reading at an average speed — more than most people can sustain in one sitting. At an hour a day it takes about a week.
Is Pride and Prejudice hard to read?
At CEFR level B2, Pride and Prejudice 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.