How long does it take to read Frankenstein?
Mary Shelley
At an average reading speed of 250 words a minute, Frankenstein takes about 5 hours to read. As an audiobook, expect about 8h 4m at 1x.
Frankenstein is one of the shortest classics in our study, shorter than most modern thrillers. It opens with four letters from an Arctic explorer before Victor Frankenstein takes over the story, and the creature tells his own side in the middle chapters.
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: counted text. We used the Project Gutenberg text (#84), from Letter 1 to the end. It has four letters and 24 chapters, the arrangement of Mary Shelley's 1831 revision; the 1818 first edition is divided differently and its wording differs in places.
Part of our study of the 100 most popular books, last checked November 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 Frankenstein?
About 5h at an average reading speed of 250 words a minute: 6h 15m at 200 and 4h 10m at 300.
How many words are in Frankenstein?
74,963 words.
How many pages a day to finish Frankenstein in a month?
About 10 pages a day, or 10m of reading a day at an average pace. That assumes about 273 pages at 275 words a page; real page counts vary by edition.
Can you read Frankenstein in a day?
Yes. It's about 5 hours at an average pace, so a free day or two long evenings is enough.
How many chapters does Frankenstein have?
In the text we counted, four opening letters and 24 chapters. Editions that follow the 1818 first edition divide the same story into three volumes.