How words are counted
A word is any run of letters or numbers, including contractions (“don’t” is one word) and hyphenated compounds (“well-known” is one word). This matches how Microsoft Word and Google Docs count in most cases. Punctuation and symbols on their own are not counted.
Word count guide
Page estimates assume 12-point Times New Roman with 1-inch margins, about 500 words single-spaced and 250 double-spaced.
| Words | Pages single-spaced | Pages double-spaced | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | ½ | 1 | Short answer, cover letter |
| 500 | 1 | 2 | Blog post, short essay |
| 1,000 | 2 | 4 | College essay, feature article |
| 1,500 | 3 | 6 | Long-form article |
| 2,500 | 5 | 10 | Research paper section |
| 5,000 | 10 | 20 | Dissertation chapter |