Free books by CEFR level, with word counts

192 free public-domain books in five languages, sorted by CEFR level, each with its word count, reading time and a page of its own.

By the Readlang Mobile team (an independent app, not affiliated with readlang.com). Updated 31 October 2026.

How to use the table:

• Find your language and your level, then look one level below it as well. A book that feels slightly easy is the one you will finish.
• Within a level, books are sorted from shortest to longest. For a first book, pick something under about 30,000 words: that is a few evenings, not a few months.
• Before you commit, open the free copy and do the one-page test. Our levels are an editor’s judgement, and yours is the one that counts.
• At A1 and A2, original books are rarely easy enough. Start with books written for learners: where to find free graded readers. The English A2 books in the table are such adaptations: classic American short stories retold for learners by VOA Learning English.

One language at a time, sorted by how much vocabulary each book needs: English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

English 112 books

English books sorted by CEFR level, shortest first within each level. Reading time is the range between 200 and 100 words per minute.

Book	Form	Level	Words	Different words	Reading time
After Twenty YearsO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,128	358	6–11 min
The Making of a Nation: Thomas JeffersonVOA Learning English	history, for learners	A2	1,157	428	6–12 min
An Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeAmbrose Bierce	short story, adapted	A2	1,174	366	6–12 min
The Romance of a Busy BrokerO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,231	413	6–12 min
The Outcasts of Poker FlatBret Harte	short story, adapted	A2	1,252	445	6–13 min
The Luck of Roaring CampBret Harte	short story, adapted	A2	1,284	498	6–13 min
The Line of Least ResistanceEdith Wharton	short story, adapted	A2	1,287	463	6–13 min
The Making of a Nation: Andrew JacksonVOA Learning English	history, for learners	A2	1,307	456	7–13 min
BartlebyHerman Melville	short story, adapted	A2	1,311	425	7–13 min
The God of His FathersJack London	short story, adapted	A2	1,315	454	7–13 min
FeathertopNathaniel Hawthorne	short story, adapted	A2	1,319	413	7–13 min
The Ambitious GuestNathaniel Hawthorne	short story, adapted	A2	1,326	471	7–13 min
A Horseman in the SkyAmbrose Bierce	short story, adapted	A2	1,334	456	7–13 min
To Build a FireJack London	short story, adapted	A2	1,339	411	7–13 min
John HenryTraditional	short story, adapted	A2	1,362	489	7–14 min
The Devil and Tom WalkerWashington Irving	short story, adapted	A2	1,363	407	7–14 min
The Purloined LetterEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	A2	1,380	421	7–14 min
The Return of a PrivateHamlin Garland	short story, adapted	A2	1,391	502	7–14 min
Paul BunyanTraditional	short story, adapted	A2	1,397	492	7–14 min
Pigs Is PigsEllis Parker Butler	short story, adapted	A2	1,406	433	7–14 min
The Story of an EyewitnessJack London	short story, adapted	A2	1,409	503	7–14 min
The Legend of Sleepy HollowWashington Irving	short story, adapted	A2	1,417	474	7–14 min
Ernest HemingwayVOA Learning English	biography, for learners	A2	1,433	479	7–14 min
A White HeronSarah Orne Jewett	short story, adapted	A2	1,436	481	7–14 min
A Municipal ReportO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,438	478	7–14 min
A Piece of Red CalicoFrank Stockton	short story, adapted	A2	1,440	346	7–14 min
The Cask of AmontilladoEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	A2	1,442	504	7–14 min
KeeshJack London	short story, adapted	A2	1,444	429	7–14 min
The Californian’s TaleMark Twain	short story, adapted	A2	1,448	481	7–14 min
The Exact Science of MatrimonyO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,477	472	7–15 min
AthénaïseKate Chopin	short story, adapted	A2	1,485	510	7–15 min
Pecos BillTraditional	short story, adapted	A2	1,489	505	7–15 min
The Boarded WindowAmbrose Bierce	short story, adapted	A2	1,505	544	8–15 min
The Last LeafO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,506	506	8–15 min
The Count and the Wedding GuestO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,532	424	8–15 min
The Lady in BlackEleanor H. Porter	short story, adapted	A2	1,543	480	8–15 min
The Ransom of Red ChiefO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,548	518	8–15 min
The Gift of the MagiO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,564	519	8–16 min
One Thousand DollarsO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,575	535	8–16 min
The Tell-Tale HeartEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	A2	1,590	478	8–16 min
Transients in ArcadiaO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,657	507	8–17 min
Two Thanksgiving Day GentlemenO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,669	488	8–17 min
From the Cabby’s SeatO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,707	505	9–17 min
Mammon and the ArcherO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,780	490	9–18 min
The Caliph, Cupid and the ClockO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	1,961	555	10–20 min
The Boy on Graves-End RoadVOA Learning English	short story, for learners	A2	2,022	630	10–20 min
The Cop and the AnthemO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	2,050	557	10–20 min
The Furnished RoomO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	2,378	592	12–24 min
A Retrieved ReformationO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	2,535	642	13–25 min
Rappaccini’s DaughterNathaniel Hawthorne	short story, adapted	A2	2,819	665	14–28 min
The Diamond LensFitz-James O’Brien	short story, adapted	A2	2,826	736	14–28 min
Paul’s CaseWilla Cather	short story, adapted	A2	2,901	772	15–29 min
The Open BoatStephen Crane	short story, adapted	A2	2,971	706	15–30 min
The Lady, or the Tiger?Frank R. Stockton	short story, adapted	A2	3,021	476	15–30 min
Hearts and CrossesO. Henry	short story, adapted	A2	3,116	682	16–31 min
Benito CerenoHerman Melville	short story, adapted	A2	3,955	966	20–40 min
The Law of LifeJack London	short story, adapted	A2	4,219	884	21–42 min
A Princess of MarsEdgar Rice Burroughs	short story, adapted	A2	5,926	986	under 1–1 h
The Murders in the Rue MorgueEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	A2	6,591	1,091	under 1–1 h
The Blue HotelStephen Crane	short story, adapted	A2	6,839	1,330	under 1–1 h
LuckMark Twain	short story, adapted	B1	1,270	477	6–13 min
Two Stories About the Letter XCarl Sandburg	short story, adapted	B1	1,279	389	6–13 min
The BirthmarkNathaniel Hawthorne	short story, adapted	B1	1,376	535	7–14 min
The Masque of the Red DeathEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	B1	1,466	456	7–15 min
Doctor Heidegger’s ExperimentNathaniel Hawthorne	short story, adapted	B1	1,475	544	7–15 min
A Pair of Silk StockingsKate Chopin	short story, adapted	B1	1,509	577	8–15 min
The Whirligig of LifeO. Henry	short story, adapted	B1	1,512	503	8–15 min
The Black CatEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	B1	1,515	497	8–15 min
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras CountyMark Twain	short story, adapted	B1	1,657	430	8–17 min
The Bride Comes to Yellow SkyStephen Crane	short story, adapted	B1	3,372	933	17–34 min
The Fall of the House of UsherEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	B1	4,519	865	under 1–1 h
William WilsonEdgar Allan Poe	short story, adapted	B1	5,815	992	under 1–1 h
Love of LifeJack London	short story, adapted	B1	7,643	1,302	under 1–1.5 h
Short Science FictionIsaac Asimov	short stories	B1	23,196	3,844	2–4 h
The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde	novel	B1	79,464	6,933	6.5–13 h
Short StoriesFyodor Dostoevsky	short stories, translation	B1	81,223	6,905	7–14 h
The Case-Book of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle	short stories	B1	83,631	7,434	7–14 h
My Life and WorkHenry Ford	memoir	B1	93,814	6,773	8–16 h
The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle	short stories	B1	95,934	7,576	8–16 h
Grimms’ Fairy TalesJacob and Wilhelm Grimm	fairy tales, translation	B1	101,611	4,854	8.5–17 h
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle	short stories	B1	104,993	7,987	8.5–17 h
The Communist ManifestoKarl Marx and Friedrich Engels	non-fiction, translation	B2	13,680	2,555	1–2.5 h
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRobert Louis Stevenson	novella	B2	25,785	3,973	2–4.5 h
Alice’s Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll	children’s novel	B2	26,775	2,634	2–4.5 h
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald	novel	B2	48,659	5,940	4–8 h
The Art of WarSun Tzu	non-fiction, translation	B2	54,454	6,492	4.5–9 h
Stanford Stories: Tales of a Young UniversityCharles K. Field	short stories	B2	54,488	6,746	4.5–9 h
The King in YellowRobert W. Chambers	short stories	B2	72,499	8,101	6–12 h
How It WorksArchibald Williams	non-fiction	B2	74,338	5,730	6–12 h
FrankensteinMary Shelley	novel	B2	78,010	7,282	6.5–13 h
The Psychology of ManagementLillian Moller Gilbreth	non-fiction	B2	84,315	5,142	7–14 h
Michael Faraday, His Life and WorkSilvanus P. Thompson	biography	B2	88,927	8,124	7.5–15 h
Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert	novel	B2	116,535	10,498	9.5–19 h
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen	novel	B2	122,164	6,407	10–20 h
Woman in ScienceJ. A. Zahm	non-fiction	B2	146,277	14,387	12–24 h
DraculaBram Stoker	novel	B2	161,387	9,437	13–27 h
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky	novel, translation	B2	204,644	9,587	17–34 h
The Notebooks of Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci	notebooks, translation	B2	244,475	15,717	20–41 h
The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas	novel, translation	B2	463,374	16,272	39–77 h
DialoguesPlato	philosophy, translation	B2	1,206,575	21,213	101–201 h
The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli	non-fiction, translation	C1	36,421	4,222	3–6 h
The End of the WorldGeoffrey Dennis	non-fiction	C1	39,220	7,226	3.5–6.5 h
MeditationsMarcus Aurelius	philosophy, translation	C1	49,641	4,569	4–8.5 h
Beyond Good and EvilFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy, translation	C1	63,710	7,818	5.5–11 h
Napoleon’s Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812Napoleon Bonaparte	letters, translation	C1	91,618	9,238	7.5–15 h
Philosophical WorksRené Descartes	philosophy, translation	C1	96,801	5,326	8–16 h
The Story of My Experiments with TruthMahatma Gandhi	autobiography, translation	C1	173,864	10,830	14–29 h
Notre-Dame de ParisVictor Hugo	novel	C1	185,410	13,945	15–31 h
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in ItalyJacob Burckhardt	history, translation	C1	211,395	18,566	18–35 h
The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)Babur	memoir, translation	C1	416,383	22,617	35–69 h
The Wealth of NationsAdam Smith	non-fiction	C1	427,445	11,930	36–71 h
Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare	play in verse	C2	26,138	3,749	2–4.5 h

Spanish 20 books

Spanish books sorted by CEFR level, shortest first within each level. Reading time is the range between 200 and 100 words per minute.

Book	Form	Level	Words	Different words	Reading time
Lecturas fáciles con ejerciciosLawrence A. Wilkins	reader for learners	A2	61,857	11,961	5–10 h
Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerteHoracio Quiroga	short stories	B1	49,907	8,186	4–8.5 h
Fábulas literariasTomás de Iriarte	fables in verse	B2	14,714	3,959	1–2.5 h
Abel Sánchez: Una historia de pasiónMiguel de Unamuno	novel	B2	29,562	4,680	2.5–5 h
Pepita JiménezJuan Valera	novel	B2	56,657	9,438	4.5–9.5 h
Niebla (Nivola)Miguel de Unamuno	novel	B2	57,384	7,575	5–9.5 h
El árbol de la cienciaPío Baroja	novel	B2	63,334	9,074	5.5–11 h
Cuentos de amorEmilia Pardo Bazán	short stories	B2	64,095	12,491	5.5–11 h
Dafnis y Cloe; Leyendas del antiguo OrienteJuan Valera	novel and legends	B2	77,281	12,569	6.5–13 h
Los pazos de UlloaEmilia Pardo Bazán	novel	B2	83,819	15,030	7–14 h
Doña PerfectaBenito Pérez Galdós	novel	B2	113,704	20,845	9.5–19 h
Mare nostrumVicente Blasco Ibáñez	novel	B2	144,898	17,514	12–24 h
Romancero gitanoFederico García Lorca	poetry	C1	5,332	1,743	under 1–1 h
Libro de poemasFederico García Lorca	poetry	C1	15,045	3,408	1.5–2.5 h
El estudiante de SalamancaJosé de Espronceda	narrative poem	C1	48,386	10,997	4–8 h
Del sentimiento trágico de la vidaMiguel de Unamuno	philosophy	C1	100,338	11,511	8.5–17 h
Facundo: Civilización y barbarieDomingo Faustino Sarmiento	non-fiction	C1	101,153	13,730	8.5–17 h
Novelas ejemplaresMiguel de Cervantes	novellas	C1	188,535	15,795	16–31 h
Historia de la vida del BuscónFrancisco de Quevedo	novel	C2	42,981	7,172	3.5–7 h
Don Quijote de la ManchaMiguel de Cervantes	novel	C2	383,633	22,943	32–64 h

French 20 books

French books sorted by CEFR level, shortest first within each level. Reading time is the range between 200 and 100 words per minute.

Book	Form	Level	Words	Different words	Reading time
Riquet à la HouppeCharles Perrault	fairy tale	B1	2,196	617	11–22 min
Boule de SuifGuy de Maupassant	short stories	B1	36,423	6,800	3–6 h
Le HorlaGuy de Maupassant	short stories	B1	41,691	6,519	3.5–7 h
Candide, ou l’optimismeVoltaire	novella	B2	34,450	5,485	3–5.5 h
Lettres de mon moulinAlphonse Daudet	short stories	B2	49,509	7,997	4–8.5 h
Arsène Lupin, gentleman-cambrioleurMaurice Leblanc	short stories	B2	55,408	8,135	4.5–9 h
Le Grand MeaulnesAlain-Fournier	novel	B2	64,901	7,666	5.5–11 h
Voyage au centre de la TerreJules Verne	novel	B2	67,960	9,468	5.5–11 h
Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts joursJules Verne	novel	B2	68,581	8,791	5.5–11 h
Le Fantôme de l’OpéraGaston Leroux	novel	B2	102,569	9,724	8.5–17 h
Les misérables, Tome I: FantineVictor Hugo	novel	B2	111,879	11,993	9.5–19 h
Fables de La Fontaine, Tome premierJean de La Fontaine	fables in verse	C1	6,910	1,962	under 1–1 h
Les Fleurs du MalCharles Baudelaire	poetry	C1	24,839	5,835	2–4 h
Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaireJean-Jacques Rousseau	essays	C1	41,944	5,870	3.5–7 h
Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert	novel	C1	112,892	13,138	9.5–19 h
GerminalÉmile Zola	novel	C1	166,686	13,765	14–28 h
Le Rouge et le NoirStendhal	novel	C1	175,589	12,211	15–29 h
Notre-Dame de ParisVictor Hugo	novel	C1	175,812	16,676	15–29 h
Une saison en enferArthur Rimbaud	prose poetry	C2	7,111	2,243	under 1–1 h
Du côté de chez SwannMarcel Proust	novel	C2	168,956	15,208	14–28 h

German 20 books

German books sorted by CEFR level, shortest first within each level. Reading time is the range between 200 and 100 words per minute.

Book	Form	Level	Words	Different words	Reading time
Der StruwwelpeterHeinrich Hoffmann	children’s verse	B1	2,988	1,115	15–30 min
Das UrteilFranz Kafka	short story	B1	4,060	1,293	20–41 min
ImmenseeTheodor Storm	novella	B1	9,744	2,463	1–1.5 h
In der StrafkolonieFranz Kafka	short story	B1	10,321	2,338	1–1.5 h
Die Leiden des jungen WertherJohann Wolfgang von Goethe	novel in letters	B2	17,730	4,038	1.5–3 h
Die VerwandlungFranz Kafka	novella	B2	19,175	3,754	1.5–3 h
Aus dem Leben eines TaugenichtsJoseph von Eichendorff	novella	B2	31,367	5,046	2.5–5 h
SiddharthaHermann Hesse	novel	B2	34,470	5,047	3–5.5 h
Der SchimmelreiterTheodor Storm	novella	B2	38,362	6,221	3–6.5 h
DemianHermann Hesse	novel	B2	47,366	7,045	4–8 h
Unterm RadHermann Hesse	novel	B2	49,238	9,716	4–8 h
Deutsche MärchenJacob and Wilhelm Grimm	fairy tales	B2	88,762	8,882	7.5–15 h
Faust: Der Tragödie erster TeilJohann Wolfgang von Goethe	play in verse	C1	30,693	6,308	2.5–5 h
Jenseits von Gut und BöseFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy	C1	57,811	9,896	5–9.5 h
Die WahlverwandtschaftenJohann Wolfgang von Goethe	novel	C1	79,204	10,899	6.5–13 h
Also sprach ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy	C1	84,321	9,449	7–14 h
Der UntertanHeinrich Mann	novel	C1	130,662	15,552	11–22 h
BuddenbrooksThomas Mann	novel	C1	228,586	24,987	19–38 h
Die Geburt der TragödieFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy	C2	41,816	8,105	3.5–7 h
Faust: Der Tragödie zweiter TeilJohann Wolfgang von Goethe	play in verse	C2	45,471	10,212	4–7.5 h

Italian 20 books

Italian books sorted by CEFR level, shortest first within each level. Reading time is the range between 200 and 100 words per minute.

Book	Form	Level	Words	Different words	Reading time
First Italian ReadingsVarious	reader for learners	A2	44,738	12,136	3.5–7.5 h
Le avventure di PinocchioCarlo Collodi	children’s novel	B1	41,398	5,998	3.5–7 h
Sei personaggi in cerca d’autoreLuigi Pirandello	play	B2	19,011	3,378	1.5–3 h
L’infedeleMatilde Serao	novel	B2	24,283	5,224	2–4 h
Vecchie storie d’amoreAdolfo Albertazzi	short stories	B2	27,951	6,180	2.5–4.5 h
Fedele ed altri raccontiAntonio Fogazzaro	short stories	B2	34,707	6,920	3–6 h
Dopo il divorzioGrazia Deledda	novel	B2	56,909	8,716	4.5–9.5 h
Documenti UmaniFederico De Roberto	short stories	B2	58,657	10,246	5–10 h
Il mistero del poetaAntonio Fogazzaro	novel	B2	60,698	8,752	5–10 h
I Robinson italianiEmilio Salgari	novel	B2	67,116	9,732	5.5–11 h
L’InnocenteGabriele D’Annunzio	novel	B2	77,999	11,228	6.5–13 h
Ricordi d’infanzia e di scuolaEdmondo De Amicis	memoir	B2	96,751	15,044	8–16 h
La favorita del MahdiEmilio Salgari	novel	B2	113,371	12,852	9.5–19 h
Enrico IVLuigi Pirandello	play	C1	18,998	3,467	1.5–3 h
I CantiGiacomo Leopardi	poetry	C1	25,789	6,145	2–4.5 h
La mandragola · La Clizia · BelfagorNiccolò Machiavelli	plays and a novella	C1	29,244	4,815	2.5–5 h
L’umorismoLuigi Pirandello	essay	C1	51,514	9,013	4.5–8.5 h
I promessi sposiAlessandro Manzoni	novel	C1	230,062	21,895	19–38 h
La Divina CommediaDante Alighieri	epic poem	C2	97,718	12,889	8–16 h
Orlando FuriosoLudovico Ariosto	epic poem	C2	266,145	19,053	22–44 h

Are these books free?

Yes. Every book in the table is in the public domain in the United States, and each book page links to a free copy at Project Gutenberg or Standard Ebooks, where you can download it as an EPUB or Kindle file without paying or signing up, or to the story on the VOA Learning English site, with its audio. Copyright rules differ by country, so if you live outside the United States, check that a book is out of copyright where you are before you download it. The books are free whether or not you read them in our app.

How were the levels set?

By hand. When a book was added to the Readlang Mobile library, a member of our team gave it a CEFR level, from A1 to C2, judging the language of the book as a whole: vocabulary, sentence length, how old the language is and how much the reader has to guess. The levels are not the result of a readability formula or of a test with readers, and two careful people could place the same book a level apart. Use them to narrow the list, then check the book itself with the one-page test. More on how the data was collected is on the About page.

What the columns mean

Book

The title opens the book’s page: its numbers, opening lines and a link to the edition we measured at Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks or VOA Learning English, where you can read or download it free. All three publish texts that are in the public domain in the United States. Copyright rules differ by country, so check yours before you download.

Form

Novel, short stories, play, poetry and so on. Plays and verse are usually harder than their length suggests. In the English table, “translation” means the book was written in another language and this is an English translation.

Level

The CEFR level our team gave the book when it was added to our library, from A1, the first level, to C2, the highest. It is a judgement about the language of the whole book, not the result of a test, and it can be wrong for you. How the levels were set is explained on the About page.

Words

Running words in the text of the book, without the title page, table of contents and licence. A word is any unbroken run of letters, so “don’t” is one word and “well-known” is two.

Different words

How many different word forms appear, ignoring capital letters. “Walk”, “walks” and “walked” count as three, and names of people and places count too. The number grows with the length of a book, so compare books of similar length.

Reading time

Hours at 200 words per minute (the lower number) and at 100 words per minute (the higher number). Where these speeds come from, and how to measure your own, is on How long does it take to read a book.

How long are the books at each level?

Level and length are not linked. Short books exist at every level, and so do very long ones: the longest is Dialogues (B2, 1,206,575 words) and the shortest After Twenty Years (A2, 1,128 words). Of the 192 books, 98 have fewer than 30,000 words and 121 have fewer than 50,000.

A median that rests on a handful of books is an example rather than a typical value; the number of books at each level is in the second column.

Before you choose: four things the numbers do not show

• Age of the language. Apart from the VOA adaptations, public-domain books are old. Don Quijote was published in 1605 and 1615, La Divina Commedia was written in the early fourteenth century, and even the “easy” nineteenth-century novels use words and spellings that modern textbooks do not teach.
• Verse and drama. 14 of the books are poetry, plays or fables in verse. Word order in verse is unusual, and a play gives you almost no description to guess from.
• Translations into English. 16 of the English books are translations, from Russian, French, German, Greek and other languages. The English is real English, but the names, places and culture come from the original.
• Books for learners. Lecturas fáciles con ejercicios and First Italian Readings were written as school readers for English-speaking students, in 1916 and 1897. Their notes and English vocabulary lists make up a large part of the text and are included in our counts, so the real reading part is shorter than the table shows.

Download the data

The full table is available as a CSV file: books-by-level.csv (title, author, language, level, form, words, different words and a link to the free edition). You may reuse it under the CC BY 4.0 licence with a link to this page. If you find a wrong level or a wrong count, write to [email protected].

Next: Is this book right for my level?