How many pages is Invisible Man?

610 pages, which is about 183,000 words and 12 hrs of reading. Editions vary, so we take the figure two of our three sources agree on.

Is Invisible Man worth reading?

Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.90 out of 5, from 316 ratings. What we can tell you for certain is the cost: 610 pages and about 12 hrs of your time, or 7½ hrs if you read quickly. Whether that is worth it depends on the hours you have.

How long is the Invisible Man audiobook?

About 20½ hrs, estimated from the 183,000 words at a typical narration pace of 150 words a minute. Real editions vary by narrator, usually by well under an hour.

Find a copy Listen · ≈20½ hrs

Invisible Man

Name: Invisible Man
Author: Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison

12 hrsto read

At your speed≈ 12 hrs

Pages610

Audiobook≈ 20½ hrs

610 pages works out to roughly 183,000 words. At an average 250 words a minute that is 12 hrs — about a week of evenings.

Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.90 out of 5, from 316 ratings.

How long does it take to read Invisible Man?

Invisible Man is 610 pages, or roughly 183,000 words. How long that takes depends on how fast you read:

Estimated reading time for Invisible Man at three reading speeds.
Your pace	Words per minute	Time to finish
Slow	175	17½ hrs
Average	250	12 hrs
Fast	400	7½ hrs

Estimated at about 300 words per page. Most adults read between 200 and 300 words a minute — use the reading-speed control to set your own pace and every time on the site adjusts.

Your reading speed… wpm

Every reading time on the site updates to your pace. Page counts are an estimate, so treat the hours as a good guide, not a stopwatch.

Common questions

How long does it take to read Invisible Man?: About 12 hrs at an average reading speed of 250 words per minute. Invisible Man runs 610 pages, roughly 183,000 words — so at a slower 175 wpm it is nearer 17½ hrs, and at 400 wpm closer to 7½ hrs.
How many pages is Invisible Man?: 610 pages, which is about 183,000 words and 12 hrs of reading. Editions vary, so we take the figure two of our three sources agree on.
Is Invisible Man worth reading?: Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.90 out of 5, from 316 ratings. What we can tell you for certain is the cost: 610 pages and about 12 hrs of your time, or 7½ hrs if you read quickly. Whether that is worth it depends on the hours you have.
How long is the Invisible Man audiobook?: About 20½ hrs, estimated from the 183,000 words at a typical narration pace of 150 words a minute. Real editions vary by narrator, usually by well under an hour.

From the publisher

Invisible Man is the story of a young black man from the South who does not fully understand racism in the world. Filled with hope about his future, he goes to college, but gets expelled for showing one of the white benefactors the real and seamy side of black existence.…

He moves to Harlem and becomes an orator for the Communist party, known as the Brotherhood. In his position, he is both threatened and praised, swept up in a world he does not fully understand. As he works for the organization, he encounters many people and situations that slowly force him to face the truth about racism and his own lack of identity. As racial tensions in Harlem continue to build, he gets caught up in a riot that drives him to a manhole. In the darkness and solitude of the manhole, he begins to understand himself - his invisibility and his identity. He decides to write his story down (the body of the novel) and when he is finished, he vows to enter the world again.

FictionAfrican American menAfrican AmericansRace relationsNational Book Award Winneraward:national_book_award=1953award:national_book_award=fictionopen_syllabus_project