Lord of the Flies by the numbers
William Golding · first published 1954 · dataset 2026-10-24
Who it is not for: readers below 9th grade: no school list in our data assigns it earlier.
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Length and reading time
| Pages (dataset edition) | 224 |
|---|---|
| Estimated words | 62,000 |
| Reading time, 300 wpm (fast) | 3 h 25 min |
| Reading time, 250 wpm (average adult) | 4 h 6 min |
| Reading time, 200 wpm (careful / younger reader) | 5 h 8 min |
| Days at 20 minutes a day | 13 |
| Lexile measure | 770L |
At 224 pages, Lord of the Flies is longer than 59.6% 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 shorter than the median book listed for grades 9-12 (273 pages).
Lord of the Flies is 224 pages; the median book listed for grades 9-12 is 273 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 |
|---|---|
| Lord of the Flies | 224 pages |
| Median book listed for grades 9-12 | 273 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 Lord of the Flies is on school reading lists
12 appearances (0.1% of all 20,804 listings in the dataset), drawn from 9 published lists, in grades 9th–12th. 12 of the 12 carry a link to the published source document.
States (4): Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia.
| Grade | Listings |
|---|---|
| 9th | 8 |
| 10th | 2 |
| 11th | 1 |
| 12th | 1 |
Sources
- Medway High School (MA) — Summer Reading 2025, assigned book by grade · checked 2026-10-07
- Middleborough High School (MA) — Summer Reading 2025, choose one per incoming grade · checked 2026-10-07
- Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) — Summer Reading List 2025-2026, rising 9th-12th · checked 2026-10-07
- Set text in the AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) specification, component: Modern prose. Specification for first teaching in 2015. Read 2026-10-03. · checked 2026-10-03
- Set text in the Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature (1ET0) specification, component: Post-1914 British play or novel. Specification Issue 2, June 2019. Read 2026-10-03. · checked 2026-10-03
- FCPS English 9 core text adoption · checked 2026-05-29
Questions
How many pages is Lord of the Flies?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is 224 pages in the edition recorded in our dataset. Page counts vary by edition and format; at about 275 words per page that is roughly 62,000 words. See how long assigned books are, grade by grade.
How long does it take to read Lord of the Flies?
About 4 h 6 min at an average adult pace of 250 words per minute (3 h 25 min at 300 wpm, 5 h 8 min at 200 wpm). At 20 minutes a day that is about 13 days. Compare a book of about the same length: Smile.
Is Lord of the Flies on school reading lists?
Yes. It appears 12 times on the U.S. school reading lists, award lists and curricula in our dataset, in 4 states plus 6 national-curriculum listings, most often in grades 9-12. That ranks it #283 of 2,809 listed books. See the most assigned books, ranked.
When was Lord of the Flies first published?
Lord of the Flies was first published in 1954, 72 years ago. See how old assigned books are, decade by decade.
Related
- Lord of the Flies: reading level, grades and similar booksOn ReadingList, our sister site for school reading lists.
- Books of about the same lengthSmile (224 pp.) · Loser (224 pp.) · The Bluest Eye (224 pp.) · The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (223 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/lord-of-the-flies/">Lord of the Flies statistics</a>. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [Lord of the Flies statistics](https://bookstatistics.com/books/lord-of-the-flies/). Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [url=https://bookstatistics.com/books/lord-of-the-flies/]Lord of the Flies statistics[/url]. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site.