Household Words

British publication

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June 29, 2026

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Household Words was a British weekly publication founded and edited by Charles Dickens, running from 1850 to 1859. It was a miscellany featuring fiction, poetry, and essays on various topics, and it achieved a substantial circulation. Dickens contributed several serial novels, including Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities, as well as essays. He took responsibility for all opinions expressed in the publication, making its content reflective of his views. The success of Household Words was attributed to Dickens's editorial skills, practical acumen, and dedication. The term "household word" itself refers to a common word or phrase that is widely recognized.12

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Charles Dickens
Journalism
…found a permanent form in Household Words (1850–59) and its successor, All the Year Round (1859–88). Popular weekly miscellanies of fiction, poetry, and essays on a wide range of topics, these had substantial and increasing circulations, reaching 300,000 for some of the Christmas numbers. Dickens contributed some serials—the lamentable Child’s…
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…found a permanent form in Household Words (1850–59) and its successor, All the Year Round (1859–88). Popular weekly miscellanies of fiction, poetry, and essays on a wide range of topics, these had substantial and increasing circulations, reaching 300,000 for some of the Christmas numbers. Dickens contributed some serials—the lamentable Child’s…
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North and South
…anonymously in serial form in Household Words from 1854 to 1855 and in book form in 1855. This story of the contrast between the values of rural southern England and the industrial north has a psychological complexity that anticipates George Eliot’s novels of provincial life.
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…anonymously in serial form in Household Words from 1854 to 1855 and in book form in 1855. This story of the contrast between the values of rural southern England and the industrial north has a psychological complexity that anticipates George Eliot’s novels of provincial life.
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