How Many Pages Is 550 Words?

Where these numbers come from

A double-spaced page of 12pt Times New Roman with one-inch margins holds roughly 250 words. Single-spaced, the same page holds about 500. Every other figure on this page is built from that, adjusted for the font and size you choose — a monospace face like Courier New fits far fewer words at the same point size, which is exactly why screenplay and manuscript formats specify it.

What will throw the estimate off

• Headings and white space — a document with a heading every few paragraphs runs longer than the word count suggests.
• Block quotes and tables — they take page space without adding many words.
• Images and figures — they add pages and no words at all.
• A bibliography — usually excluded from a word count and never from a page count.

Reading and writing time

Reading time assumes 238 words a minute, which is the average silent reading speed for an adult reading non-fiction in their first language. Reading aloud is much slower — about 140 words a minute — which is the figure to use for a speech or a presentation. Writing time assumes composing rather than typing: the hour is spent thinking and revising, not hitting keys.