How Long Is a 40,000 Word Audiobook?

Q: How long is a 40,000 word audiobook?

At the standard narration pace of 150 words per minute, a 40,000 word book is about 4h 27m of finished audio. Slower narration near 130 words per minute runs a little longer, and brisk narration near 170 runs shorter.

A 40,000 word book runs about 4h 27m as a finished audiobook at the standard narration pace of 150 words per minute. Change the speed in the calculator to see faster or slower narration, then turn your book into an audiobook with BookFoundry.

How many words is your book?

words

Narration speed150 words per minute

Finished audiobook length

4h 27m

About 40,000 words at 150 words per minute.

Rough recording time: about 8h 53m in the studio, roughly twice the finished length with retakes and editing.

Turn your book into an audiobook

Audiobook length by book word count and narration speed
Book length	At 130 wpm	At 150 wpm	At 170 wpm
10,000 words	1h 17m	1h 7m	59m
20,000 words	2h 34m	2h 13m	1h 58m
30,000 words	3h 51m	3h 20m	2h 56m
40,000 words	5h 8m	4h 27m	3h 55m
50,000 words	6h 25m	5h 33m	4h 54m
60,000 words	7h 42m	6h 40m	5h 53m
80,000 words	10h 15m	8h 53m	7h 51m
100,000 words	12h 49m	11h 7m	9h 48m

Most audiobook narrators read at about 150 words per minute, the pace Audible and ACX expect. Slower, careful narration runs near 130, brisk narration near 170. Your finished runtime is simply the word count divided by the pace.

Audiobook length for other book sizes

10,000 words 20,000 words 30,000 words 50,000 words 60,000 words 80,000 words 100,000 words

Turn your book into an audiobook