Words to Pages Calculator

A better estimate than “500 words per page”

The usual rule of thumb (about 500 words per single-spaced page and 250 double-spaced) assumes average-length words, Times New Roman at 12 pt, 1-inch margins and no short paragraphs. Change any of those and the number drifts.

Instead of a flat ratio, this calculator lays out your actual text. It takes the published character widths of the font (Arial shares Helvetica’s metrics and Times New Roman shares Times-Roman’s), wraps each paragraph to the line width of the page and margins you choose, and counts the lines. Short paragraphs, dialogue and lists take more space than dense prose, and the result reflects that.

Settings

• Font: Times New Roman is narrower than Arial, so the same text fills fewer pages. Courier New is monospaced and much wider (the convention for screenplays and some manuscript submissions).
• Line spacing: single uses Word’s default line height of about 1.15; double is twice that.
• Paper and margins: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) or A4 (210 × 297 mm), with common margins.

If you leave the text box empty and enter a word count, the estimate uses a typical mix of English prose.

Accuracy

Expect the result to be within a few lines per page of your word processor. Headings, footnotes, images, widow and orphan control and paragraph spacing settings all shift real layouts.

Good writing is rewriting. The first draft gets the ideas onto the page; the second makes them clear; the third makes them sing.

Most readers skim before they commit. Short paragraphs, specific verbs and a clear opening sentence give them a reason to stay. Long, winding sentences that bury the point in the middle make them leave.

So count your words, but count what they do, too.

Last reviewed 1 November 2026 · How Textkiln tools work