Word count guide
How many pages is 500 words?
500 words is about 1 page single-spaced or about 2 pages double-spaced. It takes about 3 min to read and 4 min to say out loud.
Pages
500 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 | 1 pages | 2 pages |
| Arial, 12pt | 1 pages | 2 pages |
Time
How long 500 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 500 words by hand at about 15 words per minute would take around 33 min.
| Task | Slow | Average | Fast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading (silent) | 3 min | 3 min | 2 min |
| Speaking (out loud) | 5 min | 4 min | 3 min |
| Typing | 20 min | 13 min | 7 min |
In practice
What a 500 word piece looks like
This is a standard short essay or article length with space for an introduction, a few body paragraphs and a conclusion. It is roughly 25 to 33 sentences and about 2,350 characters without spaces.
500 words fills almost exactly one single-spaced page, which is why it is such a common short essay length.
Writing at this length is common for:
- College application essays
- Short blog posts
- Opinion pieces
- School essays
Check your text
Count your words against a 500 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
500 words: common questions
How many pages is 500 words?+
500 words is about 1 page single-spaced or about 2 pages double-spaced, using 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins. In Arial it runs slightly longer, at about 1 page single-spaced.
How long does it take to read 500 words?+
At an average silent reading speed of 200 words per minute, 500 words takes about 3 min to read. A fast reader at 300 words per minute needs about 2 min.
How long is a 500 word speech?+
Spoken at a typical presenting pace of 130 words per minute, 500 words lasts about 4 min. Depending on your pace, plan for 3 min to 5 min.
How many paragraphs is 500 words?+
500 words is usually 3 to 5 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 500 words?+
Typing at an average 40 words per minute, 500 words takes about 13 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?