How long does it take to read Of Mice and Men?
John Steinbeck
At an average reading speed of 250 words a minute, Of Mice and Men takes 1 hour 58 minutes to read. The unabridged audiobook runs 3h 11m at 1x, or 2h 7m at 1.5x.
Of Mice and Men is a novella of six chapters, and one of the shortest books in our study of 100: about two hours at an average pace. Steinbeck built it like a play, in three acts of two chapters each, and it was staged on Broadway the year it came out.
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 the unabridged audiobook narrated by Gary Sinise (3:11) at 155 words a minute. Sinise played George in the 1992 film.
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 Of Mice and Men?
About 1h 58m at an average reading speed of 250 words a minute: 2h 28m at 200 and 1h 39m at 300.
How many words are in Of Mice and Men?
About 29,605 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 long is the audiobook?
3 hours 11 minutes unabridged at 1x: 2h 7m at 1.5x and 1h 36m at 2x.
How many pages a day to finish Of Mice and Men in a month?
About 4 pages a day, or 4m of reading a day at an average pace. That assumes about 108 pages at 275 words a page; real page counts vary by edition.
How many chapters does Of Mice and Men have?
Six. At an average pace each one takes about 20 minutes.
Can you read Of Mice and Men in one sitting?
Yes. It's about two hours at 250 words a minute, and about two and a half at 200.