How long does it take to read Hamlet?

About 4 h 03 min at 238 words per minute, assuming 275 words per page. At 30 minutes a day that is 9 days.

How many words is Hamlet?

Roughly 58,000 words, estimated from the median page count at 275 words per page. Open Library does not record word counts, so this is an estimate.

Book · by William Shakespeare · first published 1950

How many pages is Hamlet?

Hamlet by William Shakespeare has a median of 210 pages across 691 English-language print editions with a recorded page count; the middle half of editions run 160 to 277 pages.

Median pages

210

691 editions counted

Range

92–440

shortest to longest edition

Reading time

4.0h

at 238 wpm (non-fiction average)

Words (est.)

58k

at 275 words per page

How long will Hamlet take you?

Starts at the non-fiction average of 238 words per minute and 275 words per page. Move the slider to your own speed.

Reading speed 238 wpm

Page density

Reading time

4 h 03 min

At 30 min a day

9 days

At 1 hour a day

5 days

Page count of every edition, by year

Each dot is one English-language print edition. Shaded: middle half of editions. Line: median.

Open Library edition records (2026-09-30 dump). 391 editions without a publication year not plotted.

Pages by format

Hardcover, paperback and mass-market editions are typeset differently, so the same text can run to more or fewer pages.

Format	Median pages	Editions	Reading time
Hardcover	252	57	4 h 51 min
Paperback	205	96	3 h 57 min
Mass market	234	8	4 h 30 min

Editions counted

The 691 editions behind the figures above, newest first. 151 more editions were set aside because the page count was less than half or more than 2.2 times the median, which usually means an abridged text, an omnibus, or a typing error. Open Library lists 2,379 editions of this work in all languages and formats.

Year	Publisher	Format	Pages	Open Library
1969	Cambridge University Press	–	310	OL56599915M
1969	Cambridge University Press	Hardcover	408	OL7716745M
1969	Scolar P.	–	105	OL4056625M
1969	Scolar P.	–	104	OL4776358M
1969	Scholar Press	–	105	OL17743595M
1969	Penguin Books	Paperback	178	OL5311269M
1969	Cornmarket P.	–	96	OL5729613M
1969	Washington Square Press	–	147	OL39198131M
1969	Ginn	–	109	OL5770360M
1969	Scolar P.	Hardcover	104	OL8286051M
1968	Cambridge University Press	–	310	OL22645497M
1968	Longmans	–	239	OL4371081M
1968	Macmillan	–	221	OL20192835M
1968	Cambridge University Press	Paperback	408	OL7731796M
1968	Cambridge U.P.	–	310	OL5651721M
1968	Magnum Easy Eye	–	290	OL46969073M
1967	F. Watts	–	233	OL16697460M
1967	Dell Pub. Co.	–	407	OL5528176M
1967	John Wiley & Sons	Paperback	179	OL20169217M
1967	Franklin Watts / Grolier	Hardcover	179	OL5998050M
1967	Funk & Wagnalls	–	220	OL13534602M
1966	Stanwix House	–	346	OL5858278M
1966	Yale University Press	Paperback	222	OL18433160M
1966	Penguin Books	–	190	OL22388749M
1966	Penguin Books	Paperback	176	OL26598712M
1966	Dell Pub. Co.	–	407	OL25091363M
1965	Bobbs-Merrill	–	263	OL19942494M
1965	Airmont Books	–	224	OL47816875M
1965	Houghton Mifflin	–	158	OL5935260M
1965	Washington Square Press	Mass Market Paperback	147	OL24711447M
1965	HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO	–	198	OL43494660M
1965	Washington Square Press	Mass Market Paperback	147	OL24765979M
1965	Bobbs-Merrill	–	263	OL5953152M
1965	Airmont Pub.	–	188	OL5938957M
1964	Clarendon Press	–	113	OL5935485M
1964	(Western Federal Savings and Loan Association)	–	99	OL21346934M
1964	Folio Society	–	134	OL20086681M
1964	[s.n.]	–	105	OL13569656M
1964	Signet Classic / New American Library	Mass Market Paperback	271	OL24945976M
1964	University Microfilms	–	120	OL20201236M
1964	Norton	–	270	OL43728534M
1964	Clarendon Press	–	103	OL15954521M
1963	Edward Arnold	–	212	OL43766368M
1963	New American Library	–	271	OL23266082M
1963	New American Library	Text (large print)	271	OL16791187M
1963	The Shakespeare Recording Society	–	134	OL19789419M
1963	The Shakespeare Recording Society	–	138	OL59082283M
1963	–	–	342	OL58706776M
1963	Norton	–	270	OL5877783M
1963	Penguin Books	Paperback	176	OL6200872M
1963	New American Library	–	271	OL22517904M
1963	Odyssey Press	–	324	OL5887110M
1963	a signet classic	–	274	OL59082265M
1963	Shakespeare Recording Society	–	134	OL18200827M
1963	The Shakespeare Recording Society, Inc.	–	138	OL58862067M
1963	W. W. Norton	Paperback	270	OL24627250M
1962	Barron's Educational Series, inc.	–	176	OL5829564M
1962	Harcourt, Brace & World	–	129	OL5859082M
1962	Ginn	–	206	OL5867315M
1962	Yale University Press	–	222	OL22388735M
1961	University Press	–	310	OL26535486M
1961	Bantam Books	–	300	OL5910587M
1961	Washington Square Press	Paperback	147	OL26498919M
1961	University Press	–	310	OL23339366M
1961	Longman Canada	–	191	OL19012813M
1960	Western Federal Savings and Loan Association	–	103	OL24866501M
1959	Macmillan	–	292	OL24822559M
1959	Washington Square Press	–	147	OL18348941M
1959	Washington Square Press, Inc.	–	350	OL58862077M
1958	Washington Square Press / Pocket Books	Library Binding	342	OL8136305M
1958	University Press	–	169	OL15955795M
1958	THE POCKET LIBRARY	–	356	OL59081944M
1958	Longmans, Green	–	203	OL5792550M
1958	Dell Pub. Co.	–	255	OL6243479M
1957	Pelican	–	178	OL58716266M
1957	Rowohlt	–	248	OL13534607M
1955	Ginn	–	235	OL15955632M
1954	CambridgeUniversity Press	–	310	OL13657009M
1954	Folio Society	–	134	OL6195465M
1954	Yale university press	–	222	OL13542398M
1953	Vulcan Press	–	273	OL6164435M
1952	Pelican Pub. Co.	–	153	OL6116101M
1952	Editorial Vasca Ekin	–	205	OL4029136M
1950	Peter Pauper Press	–	162	OL6087648M
1950	Oxford At The Clarendon Press	–	266	OL47847694M
1948	Mare es-Verlag	–	244	OL14260517M
1948	University Press	–	310	OL6106488M
1948	Penguin	–	190	OL18192835M
1947	Doubleday	–	187	OL19241770M
1947	Vision	–	179	OL22301752M
1947	Vision Press Ltd	–	204	OL58862070M
1947	Clarendon Press	–	256	OL6037897M
1947	Yale university press	–	222	OL6519736M
1947	Yale university press	–	222	OL26899853M
1947	The Great Books Foundation	Paperback	123	OL26598659M
1947	Doubleday	–	232	OL58862071M
1947	Vision	–	179	OL17863925M
1946	Doubleday & company, inc.	–	187	OL6522086M
1946	AHM Publishing Corporation	–	114	OL7450124M
1946	AHM Publishing	Paperback	114	OL26535508M
1946	Appleton-Century-Crofts	–	114	OL6520166M
1945	Pantheon Books	Hardcover	286	OL19845706M
1941	Vision	–	179	OL20748015M
1940	Yale University Press	–	203	OL13519674M
1940	Shakespeare Association, Sidgwick and Jackson	–	103	OL20889184M
1940	The Shakespeare Association [etc.	–	101	OL6421619M
1939	Ginn and Company	Hardcover	334	OL24447020M
1939	Ginn and Company	Paperback	298	OL6392467M
1939	ginn and company	–	362	OL59082259M
1938	Methuen	–	242	OL15955575M
1938	–	–	102	OL6373703M
1938	University Press	–	247	OL20889181M
1938	Princeton University Press	–	247	OL16756502M
1937	Nordisk forlag	–	202	OL6406255M
1937	Ginn	–	235	OL15955622M
1936	Ginn and company	–	206	OL6339695M
1936	University Press	–	310	OL43755124M
1935	Macmillan	–	173	OL19664430M
1934	Dent	–	140	OL43756893M
1934	Cambridge University Press	–	290	OL13713975M
1934	University Press	–	290	OL6317241M
1934	J.M. Dent	–	195	OL6317079M
1934	J.M. Dent	–	195	OL24787175M
1934	J.M. Dent	–	195	OL24788066M
1933	[Printed for the members of the Limited Editions Club by Hag	–	149	OL45021844M
1933	Limited Editions Club	–	149	OL24018904M
1933	Yale University Press	–	203	OL6362109M
1932	University Press	–	262	OL20748062M
1932	Copp Clark	–	228	OL21192349M
1930	ThomasNelson	–	207	OL13934175M
1930	Cranach Press	–	186	OL488637M
1929	Ryerson Press	–	198	OL21314156M
1929	Houghton Mifflin Company	Hardcover	356	OL17637551M
1929	Houghton Mifflin	–	356	OL22126515M
1929	Printed for Houghton Mifflin co. by the Riverside press, Cam	–	356	OL57705803M
1925	The University publishing company	–	199	OL6681331M
1925	Penn. Pub. Co.	–	136	OL16475668M
1924	G. Allen & Unwin	–	277	OL15955703M
1922	Allyn and Bacon	–	369	OL24188209M
1920	Macmillan	–	323	OL59728190M
1920	–	–	120	OL6631089M
1919	Methuen	–	238	OL18225824M
1919	Scott, Foresman and company	–	295	OL6615631M
1919	Macmillan and Company	Hardcover	292	OL7204756M
1918	The Macmillan Company	Hardcover	323	OL7160350M
1917	D.C. Heath & Co.	Hardcover	262	OL6602128M
1917	Yale University Press	Hardcover	203	OL6603708M
1917	D. C. Heath & Co.	–	294	OL42987903M
1914	Henry Holt and Compapny	Hardcover	252	OL6567434M
1913	The Macmillan Company	Hardcover	219	OL6556980M
1913	J.M. Dent	–	215	OL45528172M
1912	Mills & Boon	–	242	OL45057289M
1912	D.C. Heath & co.	–	224	OL18955484M
1912	University press	–	262	OL59154891M
1912	Clarendon Press	–	143	OL22599968M
1911	American Book Company	–	176	OL6529552M
1910	Hodder & Stoughton	–	164	OL43728524M
1910	Hodder & Stoughton	–	164	OL16974406M
1910	Cassell	–	192	OL43728523M
1910	Knickerbocker Leather & Novelty Co.	–	288	OL24837768M
1909	Ginn and Company	Hardcover	235	OL24187914M
1909	Ginn and Company	Hardcover	235	OL7012909M
1909	Printed by T.J. Cobden-Sanderson at the Doves Press	–	158	OL19286820M
1909	Methuen and Co	–	238	OL17322522M
1909	[Printed by T. J. Cobden-Sanderson at the Doves Press]	–	158	OL45016257M
1909	Grosset and Dunlap	–	220	OL20936551M
1909	–	–	159	OL19603762M
1908	Sproul	–	210	OL52730515M
1908	Penn Pub. Co.	–	136	OL59366405M
1906	J. M. Dent and Co.	Hardcover	216	OL26595760M
1906	American Book Company	Hardcover	350	OL27597127M
1906	American Book Co.	Hardcover	350	OL24652376M
1906	American Book Co.	–	288	OL7158416M
1906	J. M. Dent and Co.	–	216	OL26595687M
1906	American Book Company	Hardcover	287	OL7167041M
1906	American Book Company	Hardcover	288	OL26595652M
1906	American Book Co.	Hardcover	288	OL6972264M
1905	T.Y. Crowell	–	339	OL2303482M
1905	T.Y. Crowell & Co.	–	339	OL6955798M
1905	Fifield	–	277	OL21247213M
1903	American book company	–	350	OL6936529M
1903	American Book Company	–	350	OL23403864M
1903	Dodd, Mead & Company	–	254	OL20449070M
1903	Scott, Foresman and Company	–	286	OL14636753M
1903	Dent	–	215	OL16207697M
1902	D.C. Heath & Co.	–	224	OL31033921M
1902	Roycroft Shop	–	172	OL43116735M
1902	Ainsworth & Company	Hardcover	192	OL6912773M
1902	Maynard, Merrill, & co.	–	320	OL25508031M
1902	Roycroft Shop	Hardcover	172	OL14045762M
1901	McClure, Phillips and co.	Paperback	136	OL14541751M
1901	McClure, Phillips & Co.	Paperback	136	OL7078000M
1901	McClure, Phillips & Co.	Paperback	136	OL26593172M
1901	University Society	Hardcover	251	OL23302683M
1901	McClure, Phillips & Co.	–	136	OL32220589M
1901	University Society	–	251	OL26571059M
1901	McClure, Phillips & co.	Paperback	136	OL24172776M
1900	Blackie	–	252	OL22130129M
1900	Hacon & Ricketts	Hardcover	127	OL24643187M
1899	Methuen and Co.	Hardcover	237	OL18115809M
1899	Cassell and Company	Paperback	192	OL26593165M
1899	The Bowen-Merrill co .	Hardcover	277	OL20528559M
1899	Methuen and Co.	–	237	OL22268594M
1899	Methuen	Hardcover	237	OL15955560M
1899	Bowen-Merrill	–	237	OL558889M
1899	The Bowen-Merrill co.	–	237	OL17787112M
1898	American Book Company	Hardcover	288	OL15030584M
1898	Penn Pub. Co.	–	136	OL571348M
1897	Allyn and Bacon	Paperback	183	OL24819196M
1897	Barse & Hopkins	–	254	OL18955492M
1897	J. M. Dent and Co.	Hardcover	216	OL26593141M
1897	Nassau Press	–	95	OL571252M
1897	Houghton, Mifflin	–	193	OL6552557M
1897	Allyn and Bacon	Paperback	183	OL24733759M
1897	houghton, mifflin	–	198	OL58862060M
1897	Allyn and Bacon	–	183	OL6552543M
1896	Dent	–	215	OL15955597M
1895	Harper & Brothers	Hardcover	286	OL26593121M
1895	D. C. Heath & Co.	Hardcover	224	OL28214013M
1895	American Book Company	–	163	OL6637199M
1895	D. C. Heath & co.	Hardcover	224	OL180772M
1895	J.M. Dent	–	215	OL25261655M
1894	Blackie	–	224	OL44603551M
1892	Ginn & Company	Hardcover	196	OL6637201M
1892	Harper & Brothers	–	286	OL26592792M
1891	Elwertśche Verlagbuchhandlung	–	319	OL24644196M
1891	Harper and Brothers	–	285	OL59849942M
1891	N.G. Elwertsche	–	319	OL7120499M
1891	N.G. Elwert	–	319	OL14312307M
1890	Harper & Brothers	–	286	OL24930015M
1890	The Shakespeare Society of New York	–	253	OL21246896M
1890	Harper & Brothers	–	286	OL24832674M
1890	Harper & Brothers	–	286	OL24638293M
1890	Standard publishing company	–	112	OL23719468M
1887	Harper & Bros.	–	285	OL57489700M
1886	Harper & Brothers	–	286	OL26591067M
1886	The Cassell publishing co.	–	192	OL60477064M
1885	Longmans, Green	–	277	OL15955696M
1885	S. R. Winchell & Co.	–	230	OL24819216M
1885	Longmans, Green, and Co.	–	277	OL18226170M
1885	Longmans, Green	–	276	OL14045743M
1885	Longmans, Green, and Co.	–	277	OL24607403M
1885	S. R. Winchell & Co.	Hardcover	230	OL24733762M
1884	Ginn, Heath, & Co.	–	253	OL26587402M
1884	Clarendon Press	–	255	OL24434206M
1883	Harper & brothers	–	285	OL57269378M
1883	Harper & brothers	–	285	OL18091453M
1883	Ginn & Company	Hardcover	253	OL6996358M
1882	Maynard, Merrill, & Co.	–	234	OL26587119M
1882	M. Niemeyer	–	258	OL6637198M
1882	Useful Knowledge Publishing Company	–	147	OL26591404M
1882	The Useful Knowledge Publishing Company	–	147	OL20543081M
1880	W. Griggs	–	100	OL18048346M
1880	William Griggs	–	100	OL16267916M
1880	W. Griggs	–	100	OL6906093M
1880	The Clarendon Press	–	231	OL26591362M
1880	W. Griggs	–	100	OL19396932M
1880	Hachette et cie.	–	427	OL58941884M
1880	W. Griggs	–	100	OL23302684M
1879	Ginn & Heath	–	291	OL20453539M
1879	–	–	258	OL25396693M
1878	Francis Hart & co.	–	136	OL13519675M
1878	The Clarendon Press	–	260	OL20552233M
1878	F. Hart & co.	–	136	OL6685527M
1877	William Collins, Sons, and Co.	–	224	OL26591021M
1875	–	–	116	OL56395149M
1874	Longmans, Green and Co.	Hardcover	163	OL14005435M
1873	G.F. Nesbitt & Co., Printers	–	119	OL24889991M
1873	G.F. Nesbitt & Co., Printers	Paperback	119	OL24819475M
1873	Rivingtons	–	140	OL59203424M
1873	G.F. Nesbitt & Co., Printers	Paperback	119	OL24731090M
1870	For private circulation only	–	99	OL59727492M
1869	N. Trübner and co.; [etc.,etc.]	–	118	OL6576779M
1869	N. Trübner and co.	–	118	OL26588104M
1868	J. Heussi	–	307	OL26588024M
1860	Sampson Low, Son, & Co.	Hardcover	200	OL908620M
1860	Sampson Low	–	200	OL18917493M
1860	S. Low, son, and co.	–	197	OL6662965M
1860	Sampson Low, Son, & Co.	Hardcover	197	OL19836122M
1860	Printed for N. L. and John Trundell	–	234	OL58596028M
1860	S. Low	–	100	OL20258415M
1859	John K. Chapman and Co.	–	110	OL26587993M
1857	Theodore Thomas	–	231	OL45481863M
1842	Baudry's European library	–	136	OL6640418M
1832	Printed for the editor by William Nicol	–	178	OL20972154M
1832	Printed for the editor by William Nicol	–	178	OL30512618M
1816	Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown	–	93	OL6765590M
1803	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform	–	130	OL56629808M
1803	[s.n.]	–	152	OL57460990M
1802	J. J. Tourneisen	–	371	OL26587544M
1773	Printed by W. Bowyer and J. Nichols, and sold by W. Owen, be	–	207	OL25669254M
1734	Printed for J. Tonson	–	107	OL13834113M
1723	Printed by J. Darby for A. Bettesworth and F. Clay	–	107	OL58122355M
1718	Printed by J. Darby for M. Wellington at the King's Head, ov	–	107	OL25669253M
1637	Printed by R. Young for Iohn Smethwicke, and are to be sold	–	104	OL25608409M
1625	Printed by W[illiam]. S[tansby]. for Iohn Smethwicke, and ar	–	104	OL25608410M
1611	Printed for Iohn Smethwicke, and are to be sold at his shopp	–	104	OL25918638M
1604	–	–	116	OL58595452M
1603	Simon & Schuster Education Group	Hardcover	154	OL9296189M
1603	Elwert	–	319	OL43728525M

More by William Shakespeare

All 23 books by William Shakespeare with page counts

Questions

How many pages is Hamlet?: About 210 pages: that is the median of 691 English-language print editions on Open Library. Editions range from 92 to 440 pages.
How long does it take to read Hamlet?: About 4 h 03 min at 238 words per minute, assuming 275 words per page. At 30 minutes a day that is 9 days.
How many words is Hamlet?: Roughly 58,000 words, estimated from the median page count at 275 words per page. Open Library does not record word counts, so this is an estimate.

Data: Open Library monthly data dumps (works, editions, authors, reading log, ratings) (Open Library / Internet Archive); How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate (Marc Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language 109 (2019)).