How long does it take to read 1984?
George Orwell
At an average reading speed of 250 words a minute, 1984 takes 7 hours 38 minutes to read. The unabridged audiobook runs 12 hours at 1x, or 8h 12m at 1.5x.
Orwell's novel is in three parts, and Part Two includes long extracts from Goldstein's book, which slow many readers down. It's a standard-length novel, longer than Animal Farm by a factor of four.
Average is about 250 WPM. Measure yours in two minutes and every time on this page recalculates.
How much to read a day
At 250 words a minute, to finish the book:
Have a deadline in mind? The pages-per-day calculator works it out for any date.
How we measured it
Method: audiobook estimate. Estimated from Theo Solomon's 2024 unabridged recording (12:18) at 155 words a minute, not the much shorter dramatization. 1984 is still in copyright in the US, so it couldn't be counted from the text.
Part of our study of the 100 most popular books, last checked October 2026. Reading times assume steady reading; editions, translations and your own pace all move them.
See how long it really takes you
Log it in Parch as you read. It tracks your pages, sessions and streak, so you'll know your real pace, and how long the next one will take.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to read 1984?
About 7h 38m at an average reading speed of 250 words a minute: 9h 32m at 200 and 6h 21m at 300.
How many words are in 1984?
About 114,390 words. That's estimated from the unabridged audiobook at a narration pace of 155 words a minute, so treat it as close, not exact.
How many pages a day to finish 1984 in a month?
About 14 pages a day, or 16m of reading a day at an average pace. That assumes about 416 pages at 275 words a page; real page counts vary by edition.
Is 1984 longer than Animal Farm?
About four times longer. Animal Farm is a little over 3 hours as an audiobook; 1984 is over 12.
How long is the 1984 audiobook?
12 hours 18 minutes unabridged in the 2024 Theo Solomon recording. Audible also sells a full-cast dramatization of about three and a half hours; that's an adaptation, not the full text.