How many words are in The Time Machine?
by H.G. Wells · 1895 · Science Fiction
32,149
Word count
2 hr 15 min
Reading time
129
Est. pages
1895
Published
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is approximately 32,149 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 2 hr 15 min of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 1895, it sits in the Science Fiction category.
Typical science fiction novels run 90,000–125,000 words, with a sweet spot around 100,000–115,000. At 32,149 words, The Time Machine comes in below the typical range — closer to a novella in length.
Source: Word count from Project Gutenberg plain text edition (public domain) · referenceVerified 2026-06-19
Science Fiction novels of similar length
| Title | Author | Word count |
|---|---|---|
| Fahrenheit 451 | Ray Bradbury | 46,118 |
| The War of the Worlds | H.G. Wells | 59,796 |
| Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | 63,766 |
| Foundation | Isaac Asimov | 67,551 |
| Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | 74,861 |
| Neuromancer | William Gibson | 79,000 |