If there’s one thing kids in the ‘90s have in common, it’s that they grew up with the Harry Potter series. And even if you’re not a ‘90s child, chances are you probably have heard of Harry Potter before (at various points of your life).
Yes – the Harry Potter series. 7 books, 22 years of history, and a whole lot of words.
But it’s not just limited to books! The magical world of Harry Potter also came to life in a series of films, and you can enhance your viewing experience with the best VPN for HBO. So, whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the wizarding world, you can immerse yourself in the captivating films and experience the magic of Harry Potter firsthand. Don’t miss out on the cinematic journey that has captured the hearts of millions worldwide.
Image from Deposit Photos / library books images
The Harry Potter Series
The Harry Potter series is about Harry Potter, a boy who discovers a whole new world and studies at Hogwarts a school of magic. Tigether with his friends, he fulfills his destiny of defeating Lord Voldemort, a powerful dark wizard.
So why should word count matter to you, the reader? Well, in the context of Harry Potter, there’s a whole lot of new vocabulary that you can pick up. There’s also arguably a sense of achievement involved – no harm boasting a little to your social circle, when you’ve read so many words. Also, totally #instagrammable. Yassssss.
Or maybe you want to encourage someone else to start reading. Have a child and wondering how best to kickstart their literacy journey? Wonder no more – Harry Potter’s the way to go.
So how many words are in the Harry Potter series, exactly? Let’s find out.
Number Of Words Of The Harry Potter Series By Book:
The first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has 76,944 words.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has 85,141 words.
The third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has 107,253 words.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has 190,637 words.
The fifth book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has 257,045 words
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has 168,923 words.
The last book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has 198,227 words.
This brings the total Harry Potter word count to a whooping 1,084,170 words. Wow – that’s a lot of words, isn’t it?
The word count gets progressively longer for books 1 to 5. In an interview with Harry Potter fan site The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet back in 2005, J.K. Rowling herself admitted that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was overly long. In defense of its length, however, she challenged “anyone to find the obvious place to cut”.
The very first book – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – is the shortest in the series. Although the word count decreases towards the end, the last two books are still longer than J.K. Rowling’s first couple of works.
Fun Fact 1:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is 119.54% longer than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Fun Fact 2:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is 157.63% longer than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Whilst longer doesn’t necessarily mean better, sometimes word count (like the Harry Potter word count) is important because there’s just so much ground to cover. This article is proof that quantity matters, too.
Over a million words in total, just for one book series – if that isn’t encouragement to pick up Harry Potter from a library or bookstore, we don’t know what is. Share this article with someone you think should start reading Harry Potter today!
What about the word count of other famous novels? Find out more on our Blog!