Word count guide
How many pages is 400 words?
400 words is about three quarters of a page single-spaced or about 1.5 pages double-spaced. It takes about 2 min to read and 3 min to say out loud.
Pages
400 words in pages by font and spacing
A single-spaced page in 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins holds about 500 words, and a double-spaced page holds about 250. Arial is a wider font, so the same text takes roughly 10% more space. Headings, lists and short paragraphs add to the page count.
| Font | Single-spaced | Double-spaced |
|---|---|---|
| Times New Roman, 12pt | 0.8 pages | 1.5 pages |
| Arial, 12pt | 0.9 pages | 2 pages |
Time
How long 400 words takes to read, say and type
Most adults read silently at around 200 words per minute and speak at around 130 words per minute when presenting. Average typing speed is about 40 words per minute. Writing 400 words by hand at about 15 words per minute would take around 27 min.
| Task | Slow | Average | Fast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading (silent) | 3 min | 2 min | 1 min |
| Speaking (out loud) | 4 min | 3 min | 3 min |
| Typing | 16 min | 10 min | 6 min |
In practice
What a 400 word piece looks like
This is a short piece that makes one clear point without much room for detail. It is roughly 20 to 27 sentences and about 1,880 characters without spaces.
Writing at this length is common for:
- Abstracts and summaries
- Cover letters
- Short answer exam questions
- News briefs
Check your text
Count your words against a 400 word target
Paste your draft below to see how close you are. Everything runs in your browser, so your text is never uploaded. For the full tool, open the Word and Character Counter.
FAQ
400 words: common questions
How many pages is 400 words?+
400 words is about three quarters of a page single-spaced or about 1.5 pages double-spaced, using 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins. In Arial it runs slightly longer, at about three quarters of a page single-spaced.
How long does it take to read 400 words?+
At an average silent reading speed of 200 words per minute, 400 words takes about 2 min to read. A fast reader at 300 words per minute needs about 1 min.
How long is a 400 word speech?+
Spoken at a typical presenting pace of 130 words per minute, 400 words lasts about 3 min. Depending on your pace, plan for 3 min to 4 min.
How many paragraphs is 400 words?+
400 words is usually 3 to 4 paragraphs, assuming paragraphs of 100 to 150 words. Online writing tends to use shorter paragraphs, so expect the higher number for blog posts.
How long does it take to write 400 words?+
Typing at an average 40 words per minute, 400 words takes about 10 min of pure typing. Real writing with research, planning and editing usually takes three to five times longer.
Other word counts
Related reading: How long should a blog post be? and How many words is a 5-minute speech?