Little Women by the numbers
Louisa May Alcott · first published 1868 · dataset 2026-10-24
Who it is not for: readers below 7th grade: no school list in our data assigns it earlier. At 449 pages it is also longer than the median book listed for grades 6-8 (212), so it is not a quick read.
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Length and reading time
| Pages (dataset edition) | 449 |
|---|---|
| Estimated words | 123,000 |
| Reading time, 300 wpm (fast) | 6 h 52 min |
| Reading time, 250 wpm (average adult) | 8 h 14 min |
| Reading time, 200 wpm (careful / younger reader) | 10 h 17 min |
| Days at 20 minutes a day | 25 |
| Lexile measure | 1300L |
At 449 pages, Little Women is longer than 96.5% of the 2,330 books on the reading lists we track whose page count we know (2,809 books are tracked in all). It is longer than the median book listed for grades 6-8 (212 pages).
Little Women is 449 pages; the median book listed for grades 6-8 is 212 pages and the median of all 2,330 listed books with a page count is 187.
Source: Page counts of 2,330 books on U.S. school reading lists, bookstatistics.com · Dataset snapshot 2026-10-24
Show the numbers
| Book | Pages |
|---|---|
| Little Women | 449 pages |
| Median book listed for grades 6-8 | 212 pages |
| Median of all listed books | 187 pages |
Word counts and reading times are estimates: pages × 275 words, divided by the reading speed. Your edition's page count and your own pace will differ.
Where Little Women is on school reading lists
2 appearances (0.0% of all 20,804 listings in the dataset), drawn from 1 published list, in grades 7th–8th. 2 of the 2 carry a link to the published source document.
| Grade | Listings |
|---|---|
| 7th | 1 |
| 8th | 1 |
Sources
- CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 story exemplar · checked 2026-05-29
Questions
How many pages is Little Women?
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is 449 pages in the edition recorded in our dataset. Page counts vary by edition and format; at about 275 words per page that is roughly 123,000 words. See how long assigned books are, grade by grade.
How long does it take to read Little Women?
About 8 h 14 min at an average adult pace of 250 words per minute (6 h 52 min at 300 wpm, 10 h 17 min at 200 wpm). At 20 minutes a day that is about 25 days. Compare a book of about the same length: A Tale of Two Cities.
Is Little Women on school reading lists?
Yes. It appears 2 times on the U.S. school reading lists, award lists and curricula in our dataset, in one national curriculum (no single state), most often in grades 6-8. That ranks it #2,691 of 2,809 listed books. See the most assigned books, ranked.
When was Little Women first published?
Little Women was first published in 1868, 158 years ago. See how old assigned books are, decade by decade.
Related
- Little Women: reading level, grades and similar booksOn ReadingList, our sister site for school reading lists.
- Books of about the same lengthA Tale of Two Cities (448 pp.) · The Grapes of Wrath (464 pp.) · Pride and Prejudice (432 pp.) · The Unwanteds (416 pp.)
- The most assigned books, rankedAll 2,809 listed books start here.
- Book length statisticsHow long assigned books are, by grade.
Cite this page
<a href="https://bookstatistics.com/books/little-women/">Little Women statistics</a>. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [Little Women statistics](https://bookstatistics.com/books/little-women/). Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [url=https://bookstatistics.com/books/little-women/]Little Women statistics[/url]. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site.