How many lines does The Odyssey consist of?

The Odyssey consists of 12,110 lines in the standard Greek text. These lines are written in dactylic hexameter, the traditional meter of Homeric epic, and are divided into 24 books.

The poem follows Odysseus’s difficult homecoming after the Trojan War, but its narrative is not told in simple chronological order. It begins near the end of his journey, follows Telemachus’s search for news of his father, and later has Odysseus recount many earlier adventures, including the Cyclops, Circe, and the Sirens.

The 24-book division is conventionally associated with the work of ancient Alexandrian scholars, who organized Homeric texts using the Greek alphabet. The line total belongs to the original Greek poem, not to any particular English translation.

That distinction explains why readers may encounter slightly different counts in modern editions. Translators can divide or number lines differently, and editorial judgments about disputed passages can affect totals. Nevertheless, 12,110 is the standard reference answer for the complete Odyssey.