Frankenstein: reading level, length and free edition

Name: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Shelley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a novel in English. Our team rates it B2. It runs to 78,010 words with 7,282 different word forms, about 6.5–13 h of reading at 200 to 100 words per minute, and it is free from Standard Ebooks.

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

Author: Mary Shelley
Language: English
Level: B2
Form: novel
Words: 78,010
Different word forms: 7,282
Forms for 95% / 98%: 3,747 / 5,722
Reading time: 6.5–13 h
Free edition: Standard Ebooks

Victor Frankenstein, a strange but brilliant scientist, discovers a method of imparting life to inanimate matter. The Monster is thus born: a hideous, 8-foot-tall creature of muscle, speed, and intellect. Frankenstein’s rejection of his appalling creation sends it into a spiral of despair, and Frankenstein’s life is never the same.

Is Frankenstein right for your level?

To recognise 95% of the running words in Frankenstein, you need its 3,747 most frequent word forms; for 98%, the share at which most readers manage a novel without a dictionary, 5,722. The median English B2 book in our table needs 3,747 forms for 95%, so by this measure the book is typical for its level: number 10 of 19, easiest first.

A word form is any spelling that appears in the text, so “walk” and “walked” count twice, and names count too. These numbers are a guide to how much vocabulary the book asks for, not a test. The level itself was set by hand by our team. Before you commit, read one page of the free edition and count the words you do not know: the one-page test takes two minutes.

Which words should you know before you start?

These are the words that Frankenstein uses most often but that are not among the 2,000 most common word forms across all 309 English books in our library; the number is how many times each appears. Names of people and places are left out. Learning a handful of them first makes the opening chapters easier.

cottage 51
sensations 33
beheld 31
monster 31
fiend 31
endeavoured 29
murderer 27
beloved 26
lovely 26
agony 26
wretch 25
anguish 24
revenge 24
endured 23
cottagers 23

How does it begin?

You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday; and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare, and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.

From the Standard Ebooks edition, which is in the public domain. If this paragraph already feels slow, try a book one level lower.

How long does it take to read?

Hours to read *Frankenstein* (78,010 words) at four reading speeds.
Words	100 wpm	150 wpm	200 wpm	250 wpm
78,010	13 h	8.5 h	6.5 h	5 h

Learners reading a book at their level often manage 100 to 150 words per minute, and readers in their first language 200 to 250. Where these speeds come from, and a calculator for your own: How long does it take to read a book?

Where can you read it for free?

The free edition is from Standard Ebooks, a volunteer project that proofreads and typesets public-domain books. Standard Ebooks releases its editions into the public domain in the United States under CC0 1.0; you can download it as EPUB, Kindle (AZW3) or KEPUB without signing up.

To read it with a translation over every word you tap, open it in Readlang Mobile on iPhone or iPad.