John Henry: reading level, length and free edition

Name: John Henry
Author: Traditional

John Henry by Traditional is a short story adapted for learners in English. Our team rates it A2. It runs to 1,362 words with 489 different word forms, about 7–14 min of reading at 200 to 100 words per minute, and it is free from VOA Learning English.

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

Author: Traditional
Language: English
Level: A2
Form: short story, adapted
Words: 1,362
Different word forms: 489
Forms for 95% / 98%: 421 / 462
Reading time: 7–14 min
Free edition: VOA Learning English

Is John Henry right for your level?

To recognise 95% of the running words in John Henry, you need its 421 most frequent word forms; for 98%, the share at which most readers manage a novel without a dictionary, 462. The median English A2 book in our table needs 415 forms for 95%, so by this measure the book is typical for its level: number 32 of 60, 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 John Henry 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.

steel 12
workers 9
faster 9
machine 8
railroad 7
hammer 7
mountain 7
salesman 5
railroads 4
driver 4
drivers 4
laborers 4
project 4
drill 4
steam 3

How does it begin?

Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. An African American man named John Henry was the hero of former slaves and the people who built the railroads. He was known for his strength.

From the VOA Learning English 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 *John Henry* (1,362 words) at four reading speeds.
Words	100 wpm	150 wpm	200 wpm	250 wpm
1,362	under 1 h	under 1 h	under 1 h	under 1 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?

This is not the original text but an adaptation for learners of English by VOA Learning English (Voice of America), from its American Stories series: shorter sentences, a limited vocabulary and an audio recording read at a slower speed. Text and audio are free on the VOA site. Material produced by the Voice of America, a U.S. government broadcaster, is in the public domain.

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