If you write 7,500 words, you’ll end up with 30 pages double spaced.
Imagine this scenario. You’re writing a report for your city council. The city councilors need a document that outlines the city’s emergency preparedness. They’re looking for a 7,500-word report, submitted as a Microsoft Word document with double spacing. They’ve also asked you to cite your sources, using MLA format. Here’s the question: How many pages do you need to write to complete the 7,500-word report?
To know how many pages you’ll need to write, you’ll first have to select a font. We recommend using a standard font, like Arial or Times New Roman, in a 12-point font size. Most readers prefer something classic. You could always test your limits with a more exotic font, such as Calibri or Verdana; however, think carefully before selecting anything too hard to read. You want the city councilors to pay attention to the content of your writing, not your formatting.
Since you’ve been given a word count, you know that your report must contain at least 7,500 words. Using the chart below, you can see that the same number of words may result in a different page count, depending on the line spacing you select. With the assigned word count, your report will be approximately thirty pages double spaced. Had the councilors asked for single spacing, you’d end up with fifteen pages. The word limit does not include the works cited page.
Of course, the content of a typical page may influence the page length. Let’s say you use lots of long words in your report, like “expenditures” and “municipalities”. That 7,500-word report could end up filling more pages. By changing the type of font, deviating from standard 1-inch margins, and including graphs and charts, you may end up with a larger page count. For that reason, we can’t give a definitive answer about the number of pages you’ll need to write to complete the report.
Here’s the good news: Most word processors, like Google Docs and Microsoft Word, contain a word counter that allows you to check the word count and character count of a document. Also, it never hurts to ask for clarification. Check with the city councilors to see if you should aim for a certain number of pages or a particular character count.
Whether you’re writing a term paper, a short story, a non-fiction book, or a research report for your city council, you’ll benefit from knowing how to convert words to pages. As a good rule of thumb, use this chart to approximate the number of pages you’ll get for a particular amount of words. The chart includes estimates for both single and double spacing, using Times New Roman font or Arial font.
If you’d like to know how to convert a speech from pages to minutes, check out this article.
