How Long Does It Take To Write 500 Words?

Whether you are planning an essay, noting down your thoughts in a journal, or penning the next bestselling novel, you may wonder how long it will take to write 500 words.

In truth, the time will vary on many factors, like your writing experience or the amount of research required. 

Despite this, it’s a good idea to know, on average, how long writing 500 words will take.

Understanding this can help you know whether you are writing at your best pace, keeping to target, or if you need to work a little harder. 

We’ll cover how long it takes to write 500 words in this article, including answers to specific questions, like if 500 words are too short for a blog post, if a 500-word paragraph is too long, and how to write 500 words in an hour. 

How Long Should It Take To Write A 500 Word Essay?

The answer to this will vary depending on how experienced you are at writing. Some write faster than others, while others write slower. 

We can get an estimate by taking the average time it takes to speak 500 words, which is 13 minutes.

Assuming that you can write as quickly as you talk, it may take 13 minutes, or more, to write 500 words. 

However, this typing speed assumes that you already have a concrete understanding of what you are going to write about.

It doesn’t factor in other phases, like research time, creating an outline, or editing.

Your essay may not need to be exactly 500 words long, but depending on who the piece is for, it may need to be at least, or just under 500 words. 

If you are not given particular length conditions, aim to prepare an essay that’s roughly 500 words.

This will be enough space to develop your thoughts in enough detail, but not so long that you keep rambling on into a verbose essay. 

Below is a rough outline of the stages and time needed to write a 500-word piece.

Researching

Half an hour to 60 minutes, though this will vary with each topic

Organization

25 minutes, aim to begin with an outline

Draft

35-45 minutes

Revision

35-45 minutes

Proofreading & Corrections

20-30 minutes

Is It Possible To Write 500 Words A Day?

Some may find the idea of writing 500 words a day difficult, but it is possible.

If you get into the habit, you may notice that you can write 500 words per hour, even progressing to double that. 

The length it takes to write 500 words will depend on your typing speed and your writing skill.

The average writer typing on a keyboard may take around 12 – 13 minutes to write 500 words, but this may increase to 2 and a half hours if other factors are needed.

For example, a high school essay or a blog post may need a lot of research, citations, pictures, and links.

The simplest way to write 500 words per day is to begin with the trickiest element.

Once you tackle this task, the momentum will help you move on to the easier tasks.

Breaking down your article or story into smaller tasks can help you with the process.

How To Write 500 Words Per Hour

If you want to write 500 words in an hour, you’ll need to start with a clear and concise plan.

If you don’t have a solid idea about what you want to write at the beginning, you will waste time leering over your keyboard.

It’s very hard to write without a genuine purpose. Without an outline to guide your thoughts, you’re likely to get lost in your head thinking about what to write. 

If you’re set on the goal of writing 500 words in an hour, you will need to tackle your writing sessions with a distinct picture of what you want to talk about. 

This might include:

• A guide to how your writing session will play out
• A thorough Q&A structure
• A list of issues that need to be addressed in order

Once you have covered all of these, you will need to concentrate on the topic itself. 

Try producing a checklist of points and questions that need to be discussed, then check them off the list as you work through it.

This can help ensure that your essay remains succinct and that you don’t leave anything out. 

Is A 500 Word Blog Post Too Short?

When printed newspapers were at their peak, a 300-word story was considered very short. 

Times have changed a lot since then, and in the web content age, 500 words are considered even shorter.

However, as long as your writing is of quality, nobody will care about the length of your blog post. 

Despite this, if you are writing for a blog, you may struggle to fit all of the information a reader may need inside a 500-word post. 

For instance, if you are writing an opinion piece that is intended to be controversial, you may struggle to fit all of the necessary information in just 500 words. 

On the other hand, a ‘How To’ post may only need a brief introductory explanation and several steps, which may only need under 500 words.  

Writing pieces that are either too long or too short is equally bad, as they won’t be valuable or deliver enough information to your readers.

Fortunately, there are some known writing patterns you can follow to help avoid this:

Write About A Scenario That Occurred Within Your Industry

This may be a new update or an event that sparked debate. 

How-To Advice

These guides are always valuable as they will help others. 

A Thought-Provoking Issue

This will make readers think about your piece and share it with others.

Are 500 Word Paragraphs Too Long?

Paragraphs that are 500 words are too long.

One paragraph shouldn’t exceed more than six sentences, or 250 words.

Most people will find that their paragraphs are shorter than this.

This rule may vary depending on your piece, but it’s a good idea to stick to these guidelines.

Paragraphs that are too long will lose their value, as your readers will struggle to take in the information. 

The Bottom Line

Writing 500 words may sound like an easy job, but making sure that these words are valuable is harder to do.

This involves ensuring that your writing is grammatically sound, supported by research, and structured well. 

Writing 500 words may take 12 or 13 minutes if you are simply typing, but content that needs research, drafting, and editing may need longer, roughly 2 and a half hours.

Creating a solid outline and plan before you write will help you write 500 words in an acceptable amount of time.