How long does it take to read Project Hail Mary?
Andy Weir
At an average reading speed of 250 words a minute, Project Hail Mary takes 10 hours 1 minute to read. The unabridged audiobook runs 16 hours at 1x, or 11 hours at 1.5x.
Andy Weir's second big hit is half as long again as The Martian. It's also one of the rare books where the audiobook is often recommended over print: Ray Porter's narration won the Audie for Audiobook of the Year.
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 Ray Porter's unabridged recording (16:10, confirmed by Audible and Blackstone Library) at 155 words a minute.
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 Project Hail Mary?
About 10 hours at an average reading speed of 250 words a minute: 13 hours at 200 and 8h 21m at 300.
How many words are in Project Hail Mary?
About 150,350 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 Project Hail Mary in a month?
About 19 pages a day, or 21m of reading a day at an average pace. That assumes about 547 pages at 275 words a page; real page counts vary by edition.
How long is the Project Hail Mary audiobook?
16 hours 10 minutes, narrated by Ray Porter. At 1.5x it's under 11 hours.
Is Project Hail Mary longer than The Martian?
Yes. The Martian is about 11 hours as an audiobook, so Project Hail Mary is roughly 50% longer.