How many words are in The Invisible Man?

by H.G. Wells · 1897 · Science Fiction

48,500
Word count
3 hr 24 min
Reading time
194
Est. pages
1897
Published

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells is approximately 48,500 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 3 hr 24 min of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 1897, it sits in the Science Fiction category.

Typical science fiction novels run 90,000125,000 words, with a sweet spot around 100,000–115,000. At 48,500 words, The Invisible Man comes in below the typical range — closer to a novella in length.

Source: Word count computed from the Project Gutenberg plain-text edition (eBook #5230, public domain) · referenceVerified 2026-06-21

Science Fiction novels of similar length

TitleAuthorWord count
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury45,910
The Island of Doctor MoreauH.G. Wells43,545
The War of the WorldsH.G. Wells59,796
Around the World in Eighty DaysJules Verne63,334
Brave New WorldAldous Huxley63,766
The Time MachineH.G. Wells32,149