How long is a 1000-word essay?

About 4 pages double-spaced or 2 pages single-spaced in standard 12pt font with 1-inch margins.

How long should writing an essay take?

A rough estimate is 300-500 words per hour including thinking and basic research. Academic writing with citations may be slower (200-300 words/hour).

Usually no. Most instructors exclude the reference/bibliography page from the word count. Check your assignment guidelines.

Estimate how many pages your essay will be based on word count, and calculate time needed to write and revise it.

Target Word Count

Words per Page

Double-spaced ~250, single-spaced ~500

Writing Speed (words/hour)

Including research and thinking time

Estimated Pages

10.0

Writing Time (hours)8.3

Total with Revision (hours)12.5

Estimated Pages vs Target Word Count

Convert word count to pages and estimate writing time.

Pages = Word Count / Words per Page

Writing Time = Word Count / Writing Speed

Total Time = Writing Time x 1.5 (includes revision)

Double-spaced, 12pt Times: ~250 words/page

Single-spaced, 12pt Times: ~500 words/page

2,500 words, double-spaced (250/page), writing at 300 words/hour.

Estimate citations needed.

Estimate research paper length.

Estimate presentation time.