The Reference Table
The most widely cited words-per-page values come from university writing centers (Columbia, Purdue OWL, and others). These assume 1-inch margins — the standard for academic papers.
| Font size | Line spacing | Words per page |
|---|---|---|
| 12pt | Double | 250 |
| 12pt | Single | 500 |
| 11pt | Double | 275 |
| 11pt | Single | 550 |
| 10pt | Double | 300 |
| 10pt | Single | 600 |
APA and MLA default (most college papers): 12pt font, double-spaced = 250 words per page.
The Formula
pages = wordCount / wordsPerPageFor 1,000 words at 12pt double-spaced (250 words/page):
pages = 1000 / 250 = 4.00 pagesWorked Example
A 1,000-word essay in APA format (12pt, double-spaced):
- Words per page: 250 (12pt, double-spaced, 1-inch margins)
- Pages: 1000 ÷ 250 = 4.00 pages
The same essay single-spaced:
- Words per page: 500
- Pages: 1000 ÷ 500 = 2.00 pages
Common Word-Count Benchmarks
| Word count | 12pt double-spaced | 12pt single-spaced |
|---|---|---|
| 250 | 1 page | ½ page |
| 500 | 2 pages | 1 page |
| 1,000 | 4 pages | 2 pages |
| 1,500 | 6 pages | 3 pages |
| 2,000 | 8 pages | 4 pages |
| 5,000 | 20 pages | 10 pages |
Important Caveats
These figures assume a standard body typeface with normal character width. The following can add or subtract 5–20% from your page count:
Title page and headers. Most academic formats require a title page, running headers, and sometimes an abstract — pages that contain few or no words. A 10-page paper is not 2,500 words; the text content might be closer to 2,000.
Paragraph spacing. APA 7 calls for a blank line between paragraphs in the main body, which effectively reduces the number of lines of text per page below what strict double-spacing predicts.
Tables, figures, and block quotes. These take up space without contributing to word count. A paper with heavy visual content will have fewer words per page than a text-only paper.
Font choice within the same point size. Times New Roman (a narrow serif) fits more words per line than Arial (a wider sans-serif) at the same point size. The reference table assumes standard academic fonts (Times New Roman, Calibri, or similar).
Practical Use Cases
Checking if you’ve met a page requirement. If an assignment asks for 8–10 pages double-spaced at 12pt, you need approximately 2,000–2,500 words. Use the calculator to estimate your page count as you write, rather than formatting the document repeatedly.
Estimating how much to cut. If you have 3,500 words and need to hit a 10-page maximum (double-spaced, 12pt), you have 3,500 − 2,500 = 1,000 words to cut. That gives you a concrete revision target.
Planning writing time. Knowing a deadline requires 15 pages at 250 words/page means you need 3,750 words. If you write 500 words per hour, plan for 7–8 hours of drafting time.