The Prince
At your speed≈ 2 hrs
Pages144
Audiobook≈ 3½ hrs
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.
The complete text runs to 32,837 words, counted word for word. At an average 250 words a minute that is 2 hrs — a day's reading.
Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.69 out of 5, from 651 ratings.
Worth-it score 6.0/10 — Worth it for some readers. Readers 5.5 (Hardcover's 3.69★ from 651 ratings) + length 0.5 = 6.0. How the score works →
How long does it take to read The Prince?
The complete text of The Prince runs to 32,837 words — about 144 pages in the edition we list. How long that takes depends on how fast you read:
| Your pace | Words per minute | Time to finish |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | 175 | 3 hrs |
| Average | 250 | 2 hrs |
| Fast | 400 | 1½ hrs |
Counted word for word from the complete public-domain text on Project Gutenberg, so these times don't depend on any one edition's page count. 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 3½ hrs — an estimate from the word count, since narrators vary.
Common questions
- How long does it take to read The Prince?
- About 2 hrs at an average reading speed of 250 words per minute. The complete text of The Prince runs to 32,837 words — so at a slower 175 wpm it is nearer 3 hrs, and at 400 wpm closer to 1½ hrs.
- How many pages is The Prince?
- About 144 pages, though editions of a book this old vary a great deal — which is why its reading time comes from the complete text instead: 32,837 words, about 2 hrs of reading at an average pace.
- Is The Prince worth reading?
- We score it 6.0 out of 10 for the time it takes — worth it for some readers. Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.69 out of 5 from 651 ratings, which counts for 5.5; at about 2 hrs at an average pace it earns +0.5 for being short.
- How long is The Prince audiobook?
- About 3½ hrs, estimated from the 33,000 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
Machiavelli, as the Father of Political Science, continues to be translated and read throughout the world. This latest edition contains many illustrations dealing with The Prince.
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