Teachers, publishers and clients still think in pages, while word processors count words. Converting between them is easy once you know the standard assumptions — and how far real documents stray from them.
Try it: Words per page calculator — free and private, right in your browser.
Words to pages chart
Based on Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1-inch margins, US Letter or A4 paper.
| Words | Pages, single-spaced | Pages, double-spaced |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 250 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 300 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| 400 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| 500 | 1 | 2 |
| 600 | 1.2 | 2.4 |
| 750 | 1.5 | 3 |
| 800 | 1.6 | 3.2 |
| 1,000 | 2 | 4 |
| 1,200 | 2.4 | 4.8 |
| 1,500 | 3 | 6 |
| 1,800 | 3.6 | 7.2 |
| 2,000 | 4 | 8 |
| 2,500 | 5 | 10 |
| 3,000 | 6 | 12 |
| 3,500 | 7 | 14 |
| 4,000 | 8 | 16 |
| 5,000 | 10 | 20 |
| 6,000 | 12 | 24 |
| 7,500 | 15 | 30 |
| 10,000 | 20 | 40 |
How fonts change the count
Fonts have different widths even at the same point size. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman and Garamond are compact; sans-serif fonts such as Arial and Verdana are wider, so fewer words fit on a line.
| Font (12 pt) | Words / page single | Words / page double |
|---|---|---|
| Garamond | ≈ 560 | ≈ 280 |
| Calibri | ≈ 510 | ≈ 255 |
| Times New Roman | ≈ 500 | ≈ 250 |
| Georgia | ≈ 450 | ≈ 225 |
| Arial / Helvetica | ≈ 440 | ≈ 220 |
| Verdana | ≈ 390 | ≈ 195 |
| Courier New | ≈ 370 | ≈ 185 |
That's why many assignments specify both a font and a word count: switching from Times New Roman to Arial can stretch a 5-page paper to nearly 6 pages.
Spacing, font size and margins
- Line spacing is the biggest lever. Double spacing halves the words per page; 1.5 spacing cuts it by a third.
- Font size scales roughly with the square of the size, because it affects both characters per line and lines per page. 11 pt fits about 19% more than 12 pt; 14 pt fits about 27% less.
- Margins: going from 1-inch to 1.5-inch margins reduces the usable text area by about 25%.
- Paragraphs, headings and dialogue leave white space. Fiction with lots of dialogue can run 20–30% fewer words per page than dense essays.
Handwritten pages
On standard college-ruled paper, average handwriting fits about 250–300 words per page; large handwriting may fit as few as 150–200. If you're sitting a handwritten exam with a word limit, count the words on one of your own pages and multiply.
Common questions
How many pages is 1,000 words?
2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced.
How many pages is 2,000 words?
4 pages single-spaced or 8 pages double-spaced.
How many words is a 5-page essay?
About 1,250 words double-spaced, or 2,500 words single-spaced.
How many words is a 10-page paper?
About 2,500 words double-spaced, or 5,000 words single-spaced.
How many pages is a novel?
Published book pages hold fewer words — usually 250–300 — because of smaller trim sizes. An 80,000-word novel typically prints at 270–320 pages.
To check your own draft, paste it into the word counter and then use the words per page calculator with your exact font and spacing.