Pages for 500 words
| Font | Single-spaced | 1.5 spacing | Double-spaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Times New Roman 12 pt | 1 | 1–1.5 | 1.5 |
| Arial 12 pt | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5–2 |
| Courier New 12 pt | 1–1.5 | 1.5–2 | 2–2.5 |
Each figure is a range: the lower number is continuous prose with full paragraphs; the higher is a typical document with headings and shorter paragraphs. US Letter paper with 1-inch margins. Single and 1.5 spacing use Word’s default spaced paragraphs; double spacing uses indented paragraphs, as in APA and MLA papers. A4 paper gives slightly more pages. Your real count depends on headings, lists and paragraph length. Paste your text into the Words to Pages Calculator for an exact estimate.
Time to read, say and type 500 words
| Activity | Time |
|---|---|
| Reading silently: fiction (260 wpm) | 1 min 55 sec |
| Reading silently: non-fiction (238 wpm) | 2 min 6 sec |
| Reading carefully: technical (200 wpm) | 2 min 30 sec |
| Speaking: conversational (160 wpm) | 3 min 8 sec |
| Speaking: presentation (140 wpm) | 3 min 34 sec |
| Speaking: slow, deliberate (120 wpm) | 4 min 10 sec |
| Typing, average typist (52 wpm) | 9 min 37 sec |
Reading speeds are the adult averages from Marc Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies; the typing speed is the average from a study of 136 million keystrokes (Dhakal et al., 2018). Check your own text with the Reading Time Calculator or the Speaking Time Calculator.
What 500 words usually is
500 words is in the usual range for a college application essay (the Common App personal essay allows 250–650 words); a short news item or product description page; a short blog post or op-ed. These are common guidelines. Always follow the limit you were actually given.
Check your own text
Counts vary with hyphenated words, numbers and dashes. Paste your draft into the Word Counter for words, characters, sentences and reading time at once, or use the Document Word Counter for Word and PDF files.
Questions
How many pages is 500 words double-spaced?
About 1.5 pages in Times New Roman 12 pt with 1-inch margins and indented paragraphs (APA/MLA style); about 1.5–2 pages in Arial.
How long does it take to read 500 words?
About 2 min 6 sec at the average adult silent-reading speed for non-fiction (238 words per minute), or 1 min 55 sec for fiction.
How long is a 500-word speech?
About 3 min 34 sec at 140 words per minute, a typical presentation pace. Speaking faster (160 wpm) takes 3 min 8 sec; slower (120 wpm) takes 4 min 10 sec.
How many paragraphs is 500 words?
Usually 3–5 paragraphs, assuming 100–150 words per paragraph, which is common in essays and articles. Web writing often uses shorter paragraphs.