Is The Hobbit a novel or novella?

Answer 1

It is a novel.

• A short story typically has 2,500-6,000 words.
• A novelette typically has 7,000-25,000 words.
• A novella typically has 17,500-40,000 words.
• A paperback novel typically has 35,000-80,000 words, though some are uncommonly up to 90,000 words.
  
• A hardback novel typically has 35,000-150,000 words.
  

Some short stories, novelettes and novellas have chapters, just like novels. They are mainly defined by their word counts. Though there are no "official" definitions of what a book is classified as by their word counts, these are the generally accepted guidelines.

The Hobbit has 95,356 words.

Click here to see the word counts of all the LoTR books.

Answer 2

It is a novel. A novella is a longer 'short story' and typically has no chapters. The Hobbit is a long, chaptered tale, a novel.