How many pages is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written?

80 pages, which is about 24,000 words and 1½ hrs of reading. Editions vary, so we use the figure two of our sources agree on.

Is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written worth reading?

On early ratings, we score it 6.7 out of 10 for the time it takes — worth the time. Only 15 readers have rated it on Hardcover so far, so the score leans on the library average and will move as more ratings arrive; at about 1½ hrs at an average pace it earns +0.5 for being short.

How long is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written audiobook?

About 2½ hrs, estimated from the 24,000 words at a typical narration pace of 150 words a minute. Real editions vary by narrator, usually by well under an hour.

The Greatest Sentence Ever WrittenWalter Isaacson

Find a copy Listen on Audible · ≈2½ hrs

The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

Name: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
Author: Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson

1½ hrsto read

6.7early score

At your speed≈ 1½ hrs

Pages80

Audiobook≈ 2½ hrs

Times shown for 250 words a minute (average)

80 pages works out to roughly 24,000 words. At an average 250 words a minute that is 1½ hrs — a single-sitting read.

15 readers have rated it on Hardcover so far — enough for an early score, not yet a firm one.

Worth-it score 6.7/10 — Worth the time (early). Readers 6.2 (15 early ratings on Hardcover) + length 0.5 = 6.7. How the score works →

How long does it take to read The Greatest Sentence Ever Written?

The Greatest Sentence Ever Written is 80 pages, or roughly 24,000 words. How long that takes depends on how fast you read:

Estimated reading time for The Greatest Sentence Ever Written at three reading speeds.
Your pace	Words per minute	Time to finish
Slow	175	2½ hrs
Average	250	1½ hrs
Fast	400	1 hr

Estimated at about 300 words per page. Most adults read between 200 and 300 words a minute — set your own pace and every time on the site adjusts. Prefer to listen? At a typical narration pace of 150 words a minute the audiobook runs about 2½ hrs — an estimate from the word count, since narrators vary.

Common questions

How long does it take to read The Greatest Sentence Ever Written?: About 1½ hrs at an average reading speed of 250 words per minute. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written runs 80 pages, roughly 24,000 words — so at a slower 175 wpm it is nearer 2½ hrs, and at 400 wpm closer to 1 hr.
How many pages is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written?: 80 pages, which is about 24,000 words and 1½ hrs of reading. Editions vary, so we use the figure two of our sources agree on.
Is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written worth reading?: On early ratings, we score it 6.7 out of 10 for the time it takes — worth the time. Only 15 readers have rated it on Hardcover so far, so the score leans on the library average and will move as more ratings arrive; at about 1½ hrs at an average pace it earns +0.5 for being short.
How long is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written audiobook?: About 2½ hrs, estimated from the 24,000 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

"To celebrate America's 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson takes readers on a ... deep dive into the creation of one of history's most powerful sentences: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,…

and the pursuit of Happiness.' Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation. Isaacson unpacks its genius, word by word, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it"--