How Many Words on a Page? (Single & Double Spaced)

A standard page holds about 500 words single-spaced or 250 words double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins. That is the universal baseline that drives essay length estimates, manuscript page counts, and printed reading time. Below you will find the full reference table by font, size, and spacing, plus a conversion chart for the page counts students and writers ask about most.

This page is the canonical answer to "how many words fit on a page," with deeper guides for half-page, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10-page double-spaced documents linked further down. If you just need a quick lookup, the calculator handles every combination instantly.

Words per Page by Font and Spacing

The numbers below assume US Letter (8.5 x 11 inch) or A4 paper with 1-inch margins. A4 fits about 7 percent more text per page than US Letter, but the words-per-page figures land in the same range because of paragraph breaks.

For an exact estimate matched to your own document, drop your text into our Words to Pages Calculator or paste it into the Word Counter first.

Variables That Change the Page Count

• Font family. Compact serif and sans-serif fonts like Times New Roman and Calibri fit more words per line. Wider fonts like Verdana, Arial, and Bookman lose 5 to 20 percent of words per page.
• Font size. Each point up (12pt to 13pt) removes roughly 8 percent of the words on a page. Dropping from 12pt to 11pt adds about 14 percent more words.
• Line spacing. Single (1.0) packs the most. Double (2.0) cuts the word count almost exactly in half. 1.5 lands at roughly 66 percent of the single-spaced count.
• Margins. 1-inch margins are the modern default. Half-inch margins fit about 20 percent more text per page; 1.25-inch margins cut roughly 12 percent.
• Paragraph breaks and headings. A paragraph that ends mid-line, a heading on its own line, or block quotes all reduce effective words per page by 5 to 15 percent in real documents.

Common Use Cases

• MLA, APA, Chicago essays. Always double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman: count on 250 words per page.
• Business memos and reports. Single-spaced, Calibri 11pt: about 625 words per page.
• Cover letters. Single-spaced, 11pt or 12pt: 400 to 500 words per page, but most should stay under 400 total.
• Novel manuscripts. Industry standard is Courier or Times New Roman 12pt double-spaced, which publishers count as 250 words per page.
• Web copy estimates. Blog posts converted to print run about 500 words per single-spaced page, so a 1,500-word post fills three pages.

Quick Conversion Reference

The most-asked page targets, converted to words at 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins.

How to Hit Exactly N Pages

If your professor or editor specifies a page count rather than a word count, work backwards:

• Lock the format first. Set font, size, spacing, and margins before you write a single word. A draft formatted halfway through always misses the target.
• Use the 250 rule. For double-spaced essays, plan 250 words per page. For a 3-page paper, aim for 750 words plus a small buffer.
• Write 10 percent long. Drafting 10 percent past the target leaves room to cut weak sentences without falling short.
• Watch the last line. A page that ends one or two lines into a new paragraph wastes the whole page. Tighten or expand to land cleanly.
• Count in the calculator. Paste your final draft into a converter once before submission to confirm the page count matches what your professor sees.

The Quick Answer Box

If you remember only one figure, remember this: 250 words per double-spaced page, 500 words per single-spaced page, 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins. Every other number on this page is a variation on that baseline.