How many words are in The Fellowship of the Ring?
by J.R.R. Tolkien · 1954 · Fantasy
187,790
Word count
13 hr 9 min
Reading time
752
Est. pages
1954
Published
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien is approximately 187,790 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 13 hr 9 min of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 1954, it sits in the Fantasy category.
Typical fantasy novels run 70,000–150,000 words, with a sweet spot around 90,000–120,000. At 187,790 words, The Fellowship of the Ring runs longer than the typical range, in epic territory.
Source: Reedsy word count database; cross-referenced with Houghton Mifflin edition · referenceVerified 2026-06-19
Fantasy novels of similar length
| Title | Author | Word count |
|---|---|---|
| Eragon | Christopher Paolini | 157,220 |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | J.K. Rowling | 257,045 |
| The Name of the Wind | Patrick Rothfuss | 259,221 |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 95,356 |
| A Game of Thrones | George R.R. Martin | 298,000 |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | J.K. Rowling | 76,944 |