The Call of the Wild
by Jack London
About The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild by Jack London is a medium read in English (adventure, classics). It takes about 2 h 39 min at 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners. The book is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg.
When you open it, the text is downloaded once and saved in your browser, so you can keep reading offline and your progress stays on your device.
Main characters in The Call of the Wild
Buck, a large and pampered dog in California, is stolen and sold into service as a sled dog in the Klondike gold rush. Through brutal work and harsh masters he rediscovers his wild instincts, and after losing the man he loves he answers the call of the wolves.
Buck
The St. Bernard and Scotch shepherd mix who becomes a leader of the pack and finally a creature of the wild.
John Thornton
The kind prospector who saves Buck and earns his deepest loyalty.
Spitz
The lead sled dog and Buck's rival.
Perrault and François
The mail couriers who first train Buck as a sled dog.
Hal, Charles and Mercedes
Inexperienced travellers who nearly destroy the team.
Questions about The Call of the Wild
- How many words are in The Call of the Wild?
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London has about 32,000 words. At 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners, it takes about 2 h 39 min to read.
- Who are the main characters in The Call of the Wild?
- The main characters are Buck, John Thornton, Spitz, Perrault and François and Hal, Charles and Mercedes.
- Can I read The Call of the Wild for free?
- Yes. The Call of the Wild is in the public domain, and you can read it free in English on PolyglotReader with inline translation, word lookup and audio.
The Call of the Wild is more than a book: it is a language-learning tool
Most people learn a language from lessons and word lists that have nothing to do with what they enjoy. Here you learn from a real story. You read The Call of the Wild in English, and every step that helps you understand and remember it is one tap away. The words you meet in the book are the words you practise.
- Read
- Look up
- Listen
- Save
- Practise
- Inline translation
Stay in the original text and check the meaning only when you need to.
- Word lookup
A dictionary entry gives you ten meanings. A contextual lookup gives you the one that fits.
- Audio narration
Hear how the text sounds while your eyes follow the words.
- B1 simplification
Read the book you want now, at a level you can follow, and move up to the original later.
- Flashcards
Practise the words you actually met, in the books you actually chose.
- Word games
Test yourself on the exact sentences you just read.
- My Dictionary
One searchable list of every word you chose to keep, with the meaning you picked.
- Daily goal
A small target you meet every day beats a long session you never get round to.
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Play word games with The Call of the Wild
Reading shows you the words, games make you use them. Press Play in the reading toolbar and PolyglotReader builds short games from the English page you are on, so you practise the vocabulary of The Call of the Wild itself.
Fill the blanks
One word is hidden in a sentence from the page. Pick the right one from four choices.
Type the word
Type the hidden word. The first letter is shown, and Say it lets you hear the word.
Unscramble
The words of a sentence are shuffled. Tap them back into the right order.
Games are made in your browser from the book text, with points, streaks and stars. How the word games work