How Many Words Per Page? Double-Spaced, APA & MLA

One double-spaced page holds approximately 250 words. That's the number students, academics, and writers have been using for decades, and it's still accurate for standard academic formatting in 2026.

Single-spaced? About 500 words per page. But the full picture is more nuanced — font, size, and margin choices all shift the count. Here's every variable you need.

The Standard Answer: Words Per Page by Format

The table below covers the most common academic and professional configurations. All measurements assume 8.5 × 11 inch (US Letter) paper with 1-inch margins on all sides.

The takeaway: APA, MLA, and Chicago all land at ~250 words per page because they all mandate the same core formatting. Font choice is where the numbers actually diverge.

To check your exact count before submission, paste your draft into Word Counter — it gives you word, sentence, and character counts in real time, all processed locally in your browser.

Why Double-Spaced = ~250 Words (The Math)

At 12pt Times New Roman, a typical line of text is about 10–12 words wide. Double-spacing gives you roughly 23–25 lines per page (compared to ~45–50 single-spaced).

$$\text{Lines (23)} \times \text{Avg. Words per Line (11)} = \textbf{253 Words per Page}$$

That's not a coincidence — it's exactly why 250 is the industry baseline. It's arithmetic, not convention. Single-spacing doubles the line count, which doubles the word density. Simple.

APA Format: What the Style Guide Actually Says

APA 7th edition (the version published in 2020, still current) specifies:

• Font: 12pt Times New Roman, Calibri 11pt, Arial 11pt, Lucida Sans Unicode 10pt, or Georgia 11pt
• Spacing: Double-spaced throughout (including the abstract, references, and block quotes)
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Indent: 0.5 inch first-line indent on each paragraph

The practical result: all APA-compliant font options give you 250–290 words per page. Times New Roman (12pt) at the lower end, Calibri (11pt) at the higher end.

One thing APA writers consistently get wrong: the running head. It doesn't affect word count, but a missing or malformatted one is a red flag to reviewers. Get the text right first — formatting is a separate pass.

MLA Format: Same Density, Different Rules

MLA 9th edition (2021) requires:

• Font: "Readable" serif at 12pt — Times New Roman is the de facto standard
• Spacing: Double-spaced throughout
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Header: Last name + page number in the top-right

Word density is essentially identical to APA: ~250 words per page. Where MLA diverges is citations (Works Cited vs References) and in-text citation format — not in how tightly words pack onto a page.

If you're switching between MLA and APA for different classes, the page-count math doesn't change. Your 3,000-word essay is 12 pages in either format.

Font Choice: The Variable That Actually Matters

The formatting style (APA vs MLA vs Chicago) barely affects word-per-page density. Font is the real wildcard.

Courier New: The "Longest" Font

Courier New is monospaced — every character occupies the same horizontal space. The word "ill" takes as much room as "www." At 12pt double-spaced, you get around 200 words per page. A 1,000-word essay becomes 5 pages instead of 4.

Some professors specifically request Courier New for creative writing submissions (it evokes a typewritten feel). If yours does, account for the page count difference upfront.

Calibri 11pt: The "Denser" Option

Microsoft switched Calibri to the Office default in 2007. It's a sans-serif font that runs slightly narrower than Times New Roman at the same point size. At 11pt double-spaced, you can fit ~280 words per page. Calibri 11pt is now explicitly allowed by APA 7, so it's a legitimate option — just know your page count will run shorter than your classmates using TNR.

The "Gaming" Trap

Yes, switching to Courier New makes your essay look longer. Everyone knows it. Don't do it. Most professors have read thousands of essays and can spot an inflated page count at a glance. If you're padding, spend that energy writing better content instead.

Words Per Page at Common Essay Lengths

If you're writing to a page requirement rather than a word count, here's the reverse lookup:

For a deeper breakdown by specific word counts — including how font choice affects individual documents — read our guide on 1,000 words to pages.

The Hidden Problem: Copy-Paste Contamination

Here's something no style guide tells you. When you copy text from a PDF, a website, or a Word document into your working draft, you frequently import invisible characters: non-breaking spaces (\u00A0), zero-width joiners (\u200D), or smart quotes that your word processor counts differently.

These characters don't show up visually, but they confuse word processors. You'll see a word count discrepancy between Google Docs and Microsoft Word, or between your processor and your professor's submission portal. It's not a bug in the counter — it's dirty data.

Before final submission, run your text through Remove Spaces. It strips non-breaking spaces, fixes PDF line break artifacts, and normalizes whitespace — all in the browser, without sending your text anywhere. Clean input = accurate word count = no surprises at submission time.

A4 vs. US Letter: The International Variable

If you're studying outside the US (or submitting to an international journal), A4 paper (210 × 297 mm) is the standard. It's slightly narrower and taller than US Letter.

The practical effect: A4 at the same font and margin settings gives you 1–3 extra lines per page compared to US Letter. For most essays this is negligible — a 3,000-word document might be 11.9 pages on A4 vs 12.1 on Letter. But for 30+ page theses, the difference accumulates.

Check what paper size your institution specifies. Most American universities expect US Letter. Most European universities expect A4. Setting the wrong one in your word processor before writing can mean reformatting everything at the end.

Practical Checklist Before You Submit

Run through this before hitting send:

• Spacing: Is the entire document double-spaced, including the reference list?
• Font: Is it 12pt Times New Roman (or your style's approved alternative)?
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides — no 1.25 inch "padding" tricks?
• Page size: US Letter or A4, as required?
• Text sanitized: Paste into Remove Spaces to clear invisible characters
• Word count verified: Drop your final draft into Word Counter for an accurate, real-time count

All processing on editlyapp.com is 100% client-side — your text never leaves your browser. No server uploads, no data retention. That matters when you're working with sensitive academic or professional content.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many words is one page double spaced?

Approximately 250 words, using 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins. This holds for APA, MLA, and Chicago formats. Font choice can shift this to 200–280 words per page.

How many words per page in APA format?

APA 7 requires double spacing and 12pt serif font, which gives you ~250 words per page (Times New Roman) or ~270–280 words per page (Calibri 11pt or Arial 11pt).

How many words per page in MLA format?

As with APA, MLA formatting yields ~250 words per page — same double spacing, same 12pt TNR, same 1-inch margins. The citation style differs; the word density doesn't. See the APA format section above for the full breakdown.

How do I count words accurately?

Use a dedicated tool like Word Counter, which uses the Intl.Segmenter API for language-sensitive word breaking and a Unicode-aware regex (/\p{L}+/gu) rather than a naive space-split. It handles edge cases like hyphenated words, em-dashes, multiple spaces, and non-Latin scripts correctly.

Why does my word count differ between Google Docs and Word?

Usually it's hidden characters — non-breaking spaces, smart quotes, or zero-width spaces imported via copy-paste. Clean your text with Remove Spaces and the counts will align.