🎧 Audiobook Reading Speed Calculator
Calculate exactly how long any audiobook will take based on word count & playback speed
| Book Type | Approx Words | 1.0x Speed | 1.25x Speed | 1.5x Speed | 2.0x Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Story | 7,500 | 50 min | 40 min | 33 min | 25 min |
| Novella | 40,000 | 4h 27m | 3h 33m | 2h 58m | 2h 13m |
| Average Novel | 90,000 | 10h 0m | 8h 0m | 6h 40m | 5h 0m |
| Long Novel | 150,000 | 16h 40m | 13h 20m | 11h 6m | 8h 20m |
| Epic Fantasy | 300,000 | 33h 20m | 26h 40m | 22h 13m | 16h 40m |
| Nonfiction | 70,000 | 7h 46m | 6h 13m | 5h 11m | 3h 53m |
| Self-Help | 55,000 | 6h 6m | 4h 53m | 4h 4m | 3h 3m |
| Biography | 100,000 | 11h 6m | 8h 53m | 7h 24m | 5h 33m |
| Textbook | 120,000 | 13h 20m | 10h 40m | 8h 53m | 6h 40m |
| Audiobook Length | 30 min/day | 1 hr/day | 1.5 hrs/day | 2 hrs/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 hours | 10 days | 5 days | 3–4 days | 2–3 days |
| 10 hours | 20 days | 10 days | 7 days | 5 days |
| 15 hours | 30 days | 15 days | 10 days | 8 days |
| 20 hours | 40 days | 20 days | 13 days | 10 days |
| 30 hours | 60 days | 30 days | 20 days | 15 days |
| 40 hours | 80 days | 40 days | 27 days | 20 days |
| Format | Words per Page | Avg Chapter Length | Pages per Hour (1x) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback Novel | 250–300 | 2,500–3,500 words | 30–36 pages |
| Hardcover Novel | 275–350 | 3,000–4,000 words | 27–33 pages |
| Mass Market PB | 200–250 | 2,000–3,000 words | 36–45 pages |
| Nonfiction Book | 300–400 | 3,500–5,000 words | 23–30 pages |
| Children’s Book | 80–150 | 500–1,000 words | 60–112 pages |
| Digital / eBook | 200–350 | 2,000–4,000 words | 26–45 pages |
| Playback Speed | Time Saved vs 1x | 10hr Book Becomes | 20hr Book Becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.75x | –33% (longer) | 13h 20m | 26h 40m |
| 1.0x | Baseline | 10h 0m | 20h 0m |
| 1.25x | Save 20% | 8h 0m | 16h 0m |
| 1.5x | Save 33% | 6h 40m | 13h 20m |
| 1.75x | Save 43% | 5h 43m | 11h 26m |
| 2.0x | Save 50% | 5h 0m | 10h 0m |
| 2.5x | Save 60% | 4h 0m | 8h 0m |
| 3.0x | Save 67% | 3h 20m | 6h 40m |
The pace of narration in audiobooks usually reaches 130 to 160 words per minute. The standard 1x-pace exists because it matches the natural talk of folks and not because of listening skill. Average adult reads inwardly at around 238 to 300 words per minute.
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When dealing with fiction, the average internal Audiobook Reading Speed is around 250 words per minute. Oral reading is quite a lot slower at about 183 words per minute. Some fast readers inwardly can reach even 400 words per minute.
Audiobook Speed and How to Choose It
So audiobooks indeed are slower than usual reading. One could read a book in three or four hours, that by listening would require eight hours. When one gives full attention, reading is around 25 percent fatser than hearing.
Even so, the main bonus of audiobooks is that one can listen during other tasks, like walking, cooking, cleaning or traveling. Like this, although reading is faster, one commonly ends more audiobooks simply because of the bigger available time for listening.
Hearing at 1.5x or 1.75x speed brings the audiobook close to the standard Audiobook Reading Speed of around 300 words per minute. Many folks listen in the range of 1.25x to 1.75x. Some stay at 1x or 1.1x, because they like the natural flow and the effect of the narrator.
Others regularly go up to 2x. Faster hearing, for instance at 1.25x or 1.5x, can help keep attention. At the basic 1x-speed the mind commonly wanders, because it seems too slow.
At 1.25x speed one can end a 12-hour audiobook in around 9 hours, without it sounding too fast. Nonfiction sometimes tolerates bigger speed than fiction. For difficult or brilliant literature staying at 1x speed works more well.
Also the style of story matters. When the narrator is the author themselves, talking about there own history with passion, less fast speed feels more natural. Some narrators have accents, that requires slowing down at first, before speeding up.
In ideal conditions without distractions, the insight of an audiobook matches that of reading. In actual life though, multitasking during hearing steals attention. Visual learners read more quickly, but have more troubles with audiobooks when they do other tasks.
Also the understanding skill plays a role, the more commonly one practices it, the more quickly one fully understands what one hears. Reading along with the audiobook is another option, although it commonly requires increasing the audio speed to match thereading. The best speed depends truly on the listener, the narrator and the book type.
