How long does it take to read 20 pages?
23 min 7 sec for an average reader (238 words per minute, ~275 words a page).
20 pages is a chapter or two, comfortably read in one sitting. Slow readers need about 31 min 26 sec; fast readers about 18 min 20 sec.
Your time for 20 pages
20 pages × 275 words ≈ 5,500 words ÷ 238 wpm. Measure your own speed
| Reader | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Slow / careful | 175 wpm | 31 min 26 sec |
| Reading aloud | 183 wpm | 30 min 3 sec |
| Average adult | 238 wpm | 23 min 7 sec |
| Fiction, average | 260 wpm | 21 min 9 sec |
| Fast reader | 300 wpm | 18 min 20 sec |
| Very fast | 400 wpm | 13 min 45 sec |
| Page type | Words/page | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback novel | ~275 | 23 min 7 sec |
| Hardcover / large print | ~230 | 19 min 20 sec |
| Textbook / non-fiction | ~350 | 29 min 25 sec |
| Document, single-spaced | ~500 | 42 min 1 sec |
| Document, double-spaced | ~250 | 21 min 1 sec |
How this estimate works
Time = pages × words per page ÷ reading speed. A typical paperback page holds about 250–300 words, so we use 275. The 238 wpm average comes from a 2019 review of 190 reading studies by psychologist Marc Brysbaert; fiction is read a little faster, at about 260 wpm. Your real time also depends on the font, the page size and how dense the writing is, so treat it as a planning figure. To get a figure for you rather than the average, take the 60-second reading speed test; your result then appears as “My speed” in the calculator above.
Working in words instead of pages? Use the reading time calculator, or convert with words to pages.
Other book lengths
5 pages10 pages15 pages25 pages30 pages35 pages40 pages50 pages100 pages200 pages300 pages400 pages500 pagesAll lengths
Questions people ask
How long does it take to read 20 pages?
About 23 min 7 sec for an average adult reading silently at 238 words per minute, assuming a paperback page of about 275 words (5,500 words in total). A slower reader at 175 wpm needs about 31 min 26 sec; a fast reader at 300 wpm about 18 min 20 sec.
How many days to read 20 pages?
At 30 minutes of reading a day and an average speed, about 1 day. At an hour a day, about 1 day.
How many words are in 20 pages?
Roughly 5,500 words in a paperback (about 275 words a page). A single-spaced document page holds about 500 words, so 20 document pages is about 10,000 words.
How many pages can you read in an hour?
About 52 paperback pages at the average adult speed of 238 wpm, or about 28 single-spaced document pages. Dense textbooks go slower, often 20–30 pages an hour.