How Many Pages Is 20,000 Words?

There are many times that you may be asked to write 20,000 words. Perhaps you are going to write an academic thesis or maybe your employer has requested you complete a project. 

Whatever the reason, you need to write 20,000 words and you’re wondering how many pages this will cover. 

In short, 20,000 words when single spaced will cover 40 pages, but this will be doubled to 80 pages if you are double spacing. 

Of course though, there is much more to it than that. In this guide, we explore more about the writing of 20,000 words, what to expect and much more information. 

Read on to learn more. 

20,000 Words And Pages 

Yes, if you are writing single spaced – you can expect 20,000 words to cover 40 pages. This is because a normal single spaced page contains 500 words. 

If you are double spacing though, you can expect to double the pages because a page will only contain 250 words each. 

It’s important to note however that this is only a guideline because there are factors which could change this, including:

• The use of numerical figures instead of words 
• The use of graphs 
• The use of indentation 
• The choice of font 
• Reference pages, if necessary 

Double Spacing 

It’s not uncommon for 20,000 words to be written double spaced. In fact, for some academic and professional settings, double spacing is required to make it easier for the reader. 

It is far more reader-friendly when papers are written double spaced, and sometimes this will be mandatory for the organization that requests it. 

When writing 20,000 words double spaced, as we mentioned – your page count will double at the very least, and you can expect to cover 80 pages. 

What If I’m Handwriting 20,000 Words?

Handwriting your paper would be unusual in the modern era, however it is not unheard of. The amount of pages you cover with 20,000 words will largely depend on your handwriting size, style and format.

Usual handwriting is around double the size of a 12-point sized arial font. In other words, you will likely cover the same amount of pages (single spaced) as you would for a double spaced and typed paper. 

Therefore, if you are handwriting 20,000 words single spaced, you will likely cover 80 pages of work. 

Will My Font Choice Make A Difference?

Yes. Typically when a paper is requested, arial or times new roman is the font that the organization will expect you to use. 

However, it’s worth noting the differences that some fonts will make. If you choose to use verdana for example, this will cover 1.1 pages or every 1 page that arial will cover. 

This is slightly more than times new roman, which covers about 0.9 pages for every page that verdana covers. 

It’s also worth noting that the pages will change with your font depending on what you choose to write on. For example, using Google Documents may produce more pages than if you choose to use Microsoft Word. 

If you are looking to write something that looks professional and uses the least amount of pages, whatever platform you choose to write on – you will want to choose arial or times new roman as a font. 

How Many Paragraphs Will 20,000 Words Cover?

The number of paragraphs you have will depend on the requested format of the paper and your writing style. For example, a scientific paper will likely have fewer paragraphs than a journalistic paper. 

However, as a general rule of thumb, 20,000 words will cover 100 to 200 paragraphs, but this could be increased by as many as 400 or even 500 paragraphs. 

The paragraph length will usually be about 100 to 200 words and about 5 to 7 sentences. Again though, these are simply estimates so you should not use this as a fundamental rule with your writing. 

How Long Will It Take Me To Write 20,000 Words?

The length of time it takes to write 20,000 words will largely depend on you. You have to ask yourself how much time each day you have to devote to writing, how quickly you write and most importantly – what you are writing. 

When it comes to academic writing, the length of time it takes to write 20,000 words is usually much longer than other types of writing to account for the research methods and the required reading. 

However, if you’re looking for a general rule of thumb, the average writer will be able to cover 20,000 words in about eight to eight and a half hours. 

This is based on someone writing forty words a minute – but of course, some writers can write much more quickly than this, whereas others may take much more time. 

Advice For Writing 20,000 Words 

If you’re tasked with writing 20,000 words, there are a few areas you must bear in mind. First, always consider what you are writing and why. 

If you fully understand the premise and who the audience is, you will be best placed to move forward with the research. 

When it comes to the research, ensure that you have fully understood what is being asked of you, and then always take your time to absorb the information before you start writing. 

Next, you should know your format. Most academic papers will have a proposed format, so ensure you are following this when you are completing your work. The same applies to professional projects. 

What is most critical of all is making the paper reader-friendly. This is not just with the format and layout, but also the concision of your writing. 

The Bottom Line 

20,000 words single spaced will cover about 40 pages – but this isn’t an exact figure. Just make sure you’re following your writing guidelines and remain focused.