Instantly see how many pages your word count equals in any format
Quick Reference
1000 words is 4 pages double-spaced (or 2 pages single-spaced). 500 words is 2 pages double-spaced and 2000 words is 8. A standard double-spaced page holds 250 words and a single-spaced page 500 words (12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins). Use the converter or the table below for any other count.
1,000 words is approximately 4 pages double-spaced or 2 pages single-spaced using 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins.
How many pages is 500 words?
500 words is approximately 2 pages double-spaced or 1 page single-spaced.
How many pages is 2,000 words?
2,000 words is approximately 8 pages double-spaced or 4 pages single-spaced.
What affects words per page?
Font type, font size, line spacing, and margins all affect how many words fit on a page. Times New Roman 12pt double-spaced with 1-inch margins gives approximately 250 words per page.
How many pages is 5,000 words?
5,000 words is approximately 20 pages double-spaced or 10 pages single-spaced.
The "250 words per page" rule has been the standard since typewriters. It still holds — but only under specific conditions: 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on US Letter paper. Change any one of those variables and the count shifts, sometimes dramatically.
Garamond fits roughly 275 words per double-spaced page. Verdana squeezes in about 190. Courier New, the monospaced font still required by some screenwriting and legal submissions, manages only 137 words per double-spaced page. If your professor says "5 pages" and you use Courier, you are writing 685 words. If you use Garamond, you need 1,375. Same page count, double the work.
This is why most academic institutions have moved toward word count requirements instead of page count requirements. Word counts remove the font variable entirely. The Common App essay is "250-650 words," not "1-2 pages." Graduate programs specify "10,000-15,000 words," not "40-60 pages." If you are given a page count, always ask which font and spacing are expected.
Why Formatting Choices Change Your Page Count
Four factors determine how many words fit on a page. Font type is the biggest. Serif fonts like Times New Roman and Garamond have compact letter shapes that pack more text per line. Sans-serif fonts like Arial and Verdana have wider letter spacing and take up more room.
Font size is the second factor. The standard is 12 point for most academic and business writing. Dropping to 11 point adds roughly 10-15% more words per page. Going up to 14 point — sometimes used in presentations or children's books — cuts your words per page by about 25%.
Line spacing is third. Double spacing is standard for academic papers because it leaves room for handwritten comments from professors. Single spacing doubles your words per page. 1.5 spacing, common in many European universities, lands somewhere in between at roughly 375 words per page with Times New Roman.
Margins are the fourth factor. Standard is 1 inch on all sides. Some students try adjusting to 0.9 inches to fit more text — most professors notice. APA format specifically requires 1-inch margins. MLA is the same. If you are using a non-standard format, the words-per-page calculation changes.
Words Per Page by Format: Complete Breakdown
Format
Single Spaced
1.5 Spaced
Double Spaced
Times New Roman 12pt
500
375
250
Arial 12pt
450
338
225
Calibri 11pt
475
356
238
Garamond 12pt
550
413
275
Georgia 12pt
420
315
210
Verdana 12pt
380
285
190
Courier New 12pt
275
206
137
Tahoma 12pt
400
300
200
Palatino 12pt
470
353
235
Handwritten (average)
175
N/A
N/A
All figures assume US Letter paper (8.5 x 11 inches) with 1-inch margins.
Common Page Count Questions by Document Type
Students ask "how many pages is 1,000 words" more than almost any other writing question. The answer depends on formatting, but the quick version: 4 pages double-spaced, 2 pages single-spaced. That covers a standard college assignment.
For a 5-page essay (double-spaced), you need roughly 1,250 words. A 10-page paper is about 2,500. A 20-page research paper is 5,000 words. These are the assignments that make up most undergraduate coursework, and the word-to-page ratio stays remarkably consistent as long as you stick to standard formatting.
Longer documents get trickier. A master's thesis at 20,000 words is about 80 double-spaced pages, but with a title page, abstract, table of contents, bibliography, and appendices, the final document might run 100-110 pages. A novel at 80,000 words is roughly 320 double-spaced manuscript pages, but a printed paperback has different margins and smaller font, so it comes out to about 280-320 printed pages depending on the publisher.
Blog posts and web content do not really have "pages" in the traditional sense. A 1,500-word blog post fills about 6 double-spaced manuscript pages but displays as a single scrollable webpage. For web content, reading time is a more useful metric than page count. At the average reading speed of 238 words per minute, a 1,500-word article takes about 6 minutes to read.
Page Count by Academic Style Guide
Different style guides have slightly different formatting rules, which affects words per page. APA (7th edition) requires 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. This gives you roughly 250 words per page with Times New Roman or 238 with Calibri.
MLA format uses 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins — almost identical to APA in terms of words per page. The main difference is the header: MLA uses a running header with your last name and page number, while APA has a shortened title.
Chicago style is more flexible. It allows multiple fonts and does not mandate a specific size, though 12-point is standard. Footnotes in Chicago style can add significant length to a paper without adding to the word count, which is why a 5,000-word Chicago paper might run longer than an APA paper with the same word count.
If you are writing for a specific class or publication, the style guide determines everything. When in doubt, use 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins. That is the default that every professor, editor, and submission system expects.
Digital vs. Print: Why Page Counts Are Fading
The shift from page counts to word counts is accelerating. Google Docs, the platform most students now use, defaults to word count in its toolbar (Ctrl+Shift+C). Microsoft Word shows word count in the status bar. Both make it easy to track words in real time. Page count is just a byproduct of formatting.
Most online submission portals — university systems, journal submission tools, grant application forms — now specify word count limits rather than page limits. The Common App uses a word counter built into its text field. UCAS personal statements use a character limit (4,000 characters). Graduate school applications specify word ranges.
Even book publishing has shifted. Literary agents request word count in query letters, not page count. Publisher submission guidelines list word count ranges by genre. A literary agent shared on X recently that middle-grade fiction should be 30,000-60,000 words, YA 50,000-80,000, and adult fiction 70,000-120,000. No mention of pages.
That said, page counts still matter in specific contexts. Legal briefs often have strict page limits. Screenplays use a one-page-per-minute rule (in Courier New, which gives roughly 250 words per page). Academic conference presentations are often structured as "a 10-page paper," meaning about 2,500 words double-spaced. If you are given a page limit, the converter table above is your quickest way to figure out the word count target.
Tips for Hitting Your Target Length
If you are under the word count, do not pad with adjectives. Look for gaps in your argument. Ask yourself: "What question would a skeptical reader ask at this point?" Then answer it. That adds substance, not fluff.
If you are over the word count, start by cutting adverbs and filler phrases. "In order to" becomes "to." "Due to the fact that" becomes "because." "It is important to note that" becomes nothing — just state the thing. These mechanical cuts can shave 10-15% without losing any meaning.
For the exact word count of any text, paste it into our free word counter. It shows words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time instantly. No signup, no limits.