Words per page, by font
The classic answer — “250 words per double-spaced page” — is only right for one font at one size. Here’s the full table.
Reference table (US Letter, 1-inch margins)
| Font | Size | Single | 1.5 | Double |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times New Roman | 10 pt | 645 | 495 | 370 |
| Times New Roman | 11 pt | 535 | 410 | 305 |
| Times New Roman | 12 pt | 440 | 345 | 260 |
| Arial | 10 pt | 610 | 465 | 345 |
| Arial | 11 pt | 505 | 385 | 285 |
| Arial | 12 pt | 415 | 325 | 245 |
| Calibri | 10 pt | 685 | 525 | 390 |
| Calibri | 11 pt | 570 | 435 | 325 |
| Calibri | 12 pt | 470 | 365 | 275 |
| Georgia | 10 pt | 585 | 450 | 335 |
| Georgia | 11 pt | 485 | 370 | 275 |
| Georgia | 12 pt | 400 | 315 | 235 |
| Verdana | 10 pt | 555 | 425 | 315 |
| Verdana | 11 pt | 460 | 350 | 260 |
| Verdana | 12 pt | 380 | 300 | 225 |
Method
Figures are computed from each font’s average character width (as a fraction of point size), a 5.1-character average English word plus one space, a 6.5×9-inch text block, and 75% line utilization to account for paragraph breaks and partial last lines — which is why our Times New Roman 12 pt double-spaced figure (260) lands on the classic 250-word convention. Rounded to the nearest 5. Real documents vary with margins, headings and hyphenation; treat these as planning numbers.
Use it in reverse
Know your assignment’s page target? The words-to-pages converter does this math interactively, and the word counter tracks you to the target with a live goal bar. Citing this table? Link this page — it’s the canonical source and we keep it updated.