When writing content, a paper, or an essay, word count is one of the first things you have to consider. It determines how much time you’ll spend and how detailed you’ll write. A content or essay can be as long as 2000 words or as short as 500 words.
However, a 500-word content or essay can be easy and difficult to write. It all depends on your writing speed, research ability, and understanding of the topic.
If you’re writing about a topic you know too well, you won’t spend much time writing. Sometimes, you may even exceed the word count while writing. But self-control is a crucial thing every author should have.
Your question to provide more information shouldn’t drive you to extend the word count of a 500-word article.
Now, here’s a crucial question.
How many pages is 500 words?
Well, this depends on diverse factors, which include the font type and size. For instance, in a single-spaced document with a standard font type and 12pt font size, 500 words would equal a page. That is for average word and sentence lengths.
Besides the number of pages, how long will it take to write a 500-word essay or article? For example, it would take about 30 to 45 minutes to prepare a 500 words essay.
Keep reading for more information on this topic!
Table of Contents
Factors That Determine The Words Per Page
Font type: The words per page depending on the font type. Some font types use more space than others. For example, the font type for college papers and essays includes Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman. Times New Roman font type takes less space than the other two, but Verdana takes the most space.
For instance, if you have a 1500-word essay, double-spaced with 12pt font, New Times Roman will take about 5.7 pages. However, Arial will take about six pages and Verdana, 6.2 pages.
The font type for a published work is usually Calibri and Garamond. However, you can use other fonts depending on the genre, subject, and other requirements.
Font size: The font size determines the words per page. An 11pt essay will have more words per page than 12pt or 14pt ones.
Margin spacing: Various margin sizes and orientations affect words per page. They determine the space between texts and make a document seem to have lots of pages. However, an inch margin has more words on a page than one inch and a half margin.
Paragraph length: If a document has many short paragraphs, it’ll contain few words. But the one with longer paragraphs has more words.
Book dimensions: For a published book, the book dimension affects the number of words per page. Various book genres have a smaller book dimension than others, so they’ll have fewer words per page.
The reading level of the book plays a part. For instance, children’s books have few words on each page irrespective of the book dimension.
Spacing elements: If the document has spacing elements like double spacing, it’s another factor. A double-spaced document will have more pages than single-spaced, but with few words on each page.
The spacing that’s between paragraphs also determines the number of words on a page. So if the pages are single-spaced but have extra spaces to separate main points or sections, it’ll minimize the words.
The presence of pictures, graphs, and charts on a page can affect the number of words. Such pages will have fewer words than pages without them.
What Is In An Outline For A 500-Word Essay?
The outline formats for essays are similar. However, consider the word count when writing an essay, as it determines how it’ll appear. For example, the outline for a 500 word includes:
Title: It attracts attention to your essay, so it’s best to keep it short. A good title should be about six words. However, if you must add relevant details, it shouldn’t be more than ten words.
Introduction: It contains the central statement of the essay. You use it to help the reader know the essence of your essay. So, let it be concise and not more than a hundred words.
Furthermore, it’s an opportunity for you to convince your audience to read the essay. Ensure you introduce your topic and give your readers an idea of the rest of the essay. Write a good thesis statement at the end of the introduction.
Body: A 500-word essay can contain about 3 to 5 paragraphs on the body section, depending on the paragraph length. But it also depends on the instructor’s recommendations. You can add subheadings and use bullet points in the body of your essay. But don’t write more than 350 words.
Provide strong facts for your main ideas and give detailed information from relevant sources.
Conclusion: It restates the main points of the essay. It also shows your overall view of the topic. It contains about 50 to 60 words. But make sure it’s not exactly like the introduction.
How To Write A 500 Words Essay
Step#1: Understand the requirements
Every essay has its requirements, so understand them before starting one. Once your instructor gives you recommendations for the essay, don’t forget to use them. They’ll help you complete your essay, and you’ll get your marks without any issues.
If you understand the requirements, writing the essay won’t be a big deal.
Step#2: Choose a topic
From the recommendations you get from your instructor, choose a topic. Make sure it’s interesting. The topic you choose will determine if your essay will be easy to write. It also determines if the essay will be attractive.
However, make sure it’s not a crowded topic. You don’t want an essay that’ll seem like a repetition of well-known works. On the other hand, a 500-word essay needs to have a topic engaging and has evidence backing it. It’s so because you have limited sentences to express yourself.
Step#3: Brainstorm for ideas
Now that you’ve come up with a topic for your essay, it’s time to brainstorm for ideas. It helps you expand your creativity before you start writing your essay. First, write down the ideas and elements that will make up your essay.
Many essays may relate to your topic, so do your best to make yours stand out. In addition, you can come up with unusual ideas that relate to your topic.
Step#4: Research
You can’t write a good essay without proper research. That’s why you have to spend time researching to gather relevant information for your topic. It’ll also make it easier for you to write. You’ll be able to strengthen your ideas with good research.
Ensure you get your information from reliable sources. Also, have evidence to back your main points.
Step#5: Create an outline
Your outline contains all the main points of your essay. When creating one, write down the main points you want to use first before you start writing. Don’t attempt to start writing without writing down an outline; you may forget or miss an important point.
Furthermore, arrange your points in the proper order. You don’t want to confuse your audience with random points. A well-arranged outline will help you write an essay that’s easy to understand.
Step#6: Start writing
Now that you have your information in place, it’s time to begin your writing process. Start with your introduction, which should explain your topic and contain the thesis statement. Then, write the body. Finally, include all the main points in your outline. Keep your word count in mind as you do so.
Additionally, explain your points in a precise and easy-to-understand manner. Also, use transition words to make your sentences readable and flow smoothly. Just like the introduction, the conclusion should be concise. It should summarize the main points without adding new ones.
Make sure you use the recommended font type and size to write your essay. Use the recommended spacing. However, if you have no recommendation, use standard fonts like Times New Roman or Arial. Most times, a 12pt font size is preferable.
Don’t forget to use your style. It’ll make your work unique and let your audience see your view. But make sure your style suits the subject. And write in detail to make your work creative.
Step#7: Avoid plagiarism
Don’t copy another person’s work. Even when you research, you’re to get ideas from your research and not to copy the work. Your instructor can easily spot a plagiarized work with plagiarism software. That’ll make you waste your efforts as he may penalize you or reject your essay.
Step#8: Proofread and revise
When you complete your essay, take out time to edit and proofread your work. Don’t make the mistake of skipping it even if your deadline is close. It’ll help you spot some errors that can ruin your work.
It’s best to take a break after you write before you start editing. So you can see things from a clear perspective. Reading your work aloud will help you spot mistakes. Revise and edit your work at least once before you round off.
Conclusion
So, how many pages is 500 words? Well, several factors determine the number of pages. These include the font size, font type, margin spacing, paragraph spacing, and so on.
Beyond the number of pages, understanding how to write 500 words effectively will help your work stand out. Then, you can increase engagement and make it interesting.
