How Many Words Is a Page?

Teachers, journals and application forms often set a length in pages, while your document counts words. The conversion depends on the font, spacing, margins and layout. Below is the usual rule of thumb, and what we measured when we filled pages with real text.

The rule of thumb

For a 12-point font, 1-inch (2.5 cm) margins and ordinary paragraphs, people usually count about 500 words for a single-spaced page and about 250 for a double-spaced one. Those figures leave room for the things a real document has: headings, short paragraphs, lists and the space many word processors add after each paragraph.

To go the other way, divide your word count by 500 for single-spaced pages or by 250 for double-spaced ones.

What a solid page holds: our measurement

We laid out about 9,700 words of ordinary paragraph text from our own guides at 12 points with 1-inch margins, in four common fonts, with no extra space between paragraphs. That is close to the most a page can hold, so treat these as upper limits:

The text was laid out in a web browser, so a word processor will differ slightly, but the pattern holds: in Times New Roman or Arial, a solid page fits about 29–46% more than the rule of thumb, and an A4 page fits about 5% more than a US Letter page because it is taller.

What changes the count?

• Font. Of the four fonts we measured, Times New Roman fits the most. Arial fits about 7% fewer words, Georgia about 12% fewer and Verdana about 24% fewer at the same size. A 10- or 11-point font fits noticeably more.
• Line spacing. Double spacing halves the words per page, and 1.5 spacing removes about a third.
• Space between paragraphs. Many word processors add space after every paragraph by default, which can cost several lines a page. Check the paragraph settings if a page count matters.
• Short paragraphs, headings and lists. Every partly filled line is white space, so dialogue, bullet points and headings lower the words per page.
• Long words. Technical and academic writing uses longer words, so fewer fit on a line.

When the limit is in words, count words

If an assignment gives a word limit, the page count doesn’t matter: paste the text into the word counter for the exact number. It also estimates reading time at 238 words per minute and speaking time at 150, so 1,000 words take about 4 minutes to read and about 7 to say aloud. For limits in characters, such as a personal statement box, use the character counter.