Shakespeare's plays, listed by number of words

Total words in all plays: 836,005
Total plays: 37
Average per play: 22,595

Note: A "speech" consists of either words spoken by a character, or a stage direction — anything from a one-word shout to a long soliloquy.

Words Speeches Play Genre Year
30,557 1,250 The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Tragedy 1600-1
29,278 1,224 History of Richard III History 1592-3
27,589 1,240 Coriolanus Tragedy 1608
27,565 979 Cymbeline, King of Britain Tragedy 1610-11
26,450 1,309 The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice Tragedy 1603-4
26,145 1,181 The Tragedy of King Lear Tragedy 1605-8
26,119 853 History of Henry V History 1599
26,089 1,301 Troilus and Cressida Tragedy 1602-3
25,689 987 History of Henry IV, Part II History 1597-8
25,439 921 History of Henry VI, Part II History 1590-1
24,914 814 The Winter's Tale Comedy 1609-10
24,905 1,361 Antony and Cleopatra Tragedy 1606-7
24,629 788 History of Henry VIII History 1613
24,579 884 History of Henry IV, Part I History 1596-7
24,553 990 The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Tragedy 1594-5
24,294 949 History of Henry VI, Part III History 1590-2
23,009 1,034 All's Well That Ends Well Comedy 1603-5
22,423 636 History of Richard II History 1594-6
21,845 1,163 The Merry Wives of Windsor Comedy 1597
21,780 987 Measure for Measure Comedy 1604
21,690 872 As You Like It Comedy 1599
21,607 787 History of Henry VI, Part I History 1591-2
21,459 1,123 Love's Labour's Lost Comedy 1593-5
21,291 722 The Merchant of Venice Comedy 1596-7
21,157 1,062 Much Ado about Nothing Comedy 1598-9
21,055 965 The Taming of the Shrew Comedy 1590-3
20,772 621 History of King John History 1594-6
20,743 662 Titus Andronicus Tragedy 1590-1
19,837 1,031 Twelfth Night, Or What You Will Comedy 1599
19,703 895 The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Tragedy 1599
18,529 756 Pericles, Prince of Tyre History 1608-9
18,216 870 The Tragedy of Timon of Athens Tragedy 1604-7
17,129 943 Two Gentlemen of Verona Comedy 1589-93
17,121 765 The Tragedy of Macbeth Tragedy 1606
16,633 702 The Tempest Comedy 1610-11
16,511 605 A Midsummer Night's Dream Comedy 1594-5
14,701 664 The Comedy of Errors Comedy 1592-4

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