Words per Page: 250, 275 or 500?
The three common conventions, and how to pick the right one.
Quick answer: use 275 words/page for double-spaced 12pt Times New Roman (the standard for essays and manuscripts), 500 words/page for single-spaced documents, and 250 words/page for a typical paperback novel.
Word-count-to-pages table
| Word count | Double-spaced (275/pg) | Single-spaced (500/pg) | Paperback (250/pg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 1.8 pages | 1 page | 2 pages |
| 1,000 | 3.6 pages | 2 pages | 4 pages |
| 2,500 | 9.1 pages | 5 pages | 10 pages |
| 5,000 | 18.2 pages | 10 pages | 20 pages |
| 90,000 | 327 pages | 180 pages | 360 pages |
Why the convention depends on format
These figures assume 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins, the standard manuscript-formatting baseline in English-language publishing and academia. Font choice, font size, margin width and line spacing all shift the real number — a page of 11pt Arial with narrow margins fits meaningfully more words than 12pt Times New Roman with standard margins, so treat these as planning estimates, not exact typesetting counts.
Using the Pages tab
ReadMetric's Pages tab lets you switch between these three presets (or set a custom words-per-page value) so you get an estimate matched to your actual document format, whether that's a school essay, a manuscript submission, or a printed report.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a page double-spaced?
About 275 words per page double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman, the standard convention for essays and manuscripts.
How many words is a page single-spaced?
About 500 words per page single-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman.
How many words is a paperback book page?
About 250 words per page is the common estimate for a typical paperback novel page. See our reading time for books guide for full-book examples.