When you get assigned an essay that comes with a word count, it can be difficult to work out just how long that word count actually is.
Planning out your essay without knowing how many pages or paragraphs you are roughly going to need is quite stressful and it can put you off even starting.
If you have found your way to this article, then you are probably facing a dilemma along these lines. If you want to know how long 500 words is exactly, then you have definitely come to the right place!
We will be going over just how long 500 words is and we will be laying it out in a few different ways to help you visualize and plan how you are going to write. So read on to find out everything you need to know!
How Long Is 500 Words?
The short answer to this question is 500 words (when single-spaced) is about 1 full page long. When the words are double-spaced, the words amount to 2 full pages long.
This only applies when you use normal 1-inch margins, 12 pt. Arial font, and a standard A4 page size. So if you tweak any of these settings when typing out 500 words, the duration is going to change depending on the tweak.
But for the sake of going by common settings and keeping it simple, a standard single-spaced digital A4 page with size 12 pt. Arial font and 1-inch margins are always going to be about 500 words long.
Double-spaced 1-inch margins, 12 pt. Arial font and a standard A4 page is going to amount to 2 pages instead. You only really need to use double-spaced pages if you are handing in an essay and your teacher has specifically asked for it.
The double spacing makes it easier for your teacher to grade and it makes spaces for them to leave notes for you to read later.
How Long Is 500 Words Handwritten?
If you would rather go old school and write out an essay or anything by hand then the amount of pages is going to change. 500 words when they are handwritten is going to amount to about 2 pages. This is in regard to single-spaced words as well.
On average, handwriting is usually twice the size of the 12-point Arial or even Times New Roman font. Because it is double the size, this means it’s going to take up about twice the amount of room.
Of course, this varies depending on your handwriting size and if you use double-spaces instead, but on average, 500 words handwritten will usually amount to about 2 A4 pages.
How To Write A 500-Word Essay
So now you know how long 500 words is, let’s take a look at the best way to write a 500-word essay. It is not difficult to write a 500-word essay once you know what you are doing, but it does take a bit of practice to get it right.
500 words aren’t actually that long for an essay, and you might find it a little harder than say a 1000-word essay.
You have to make sure that you include the introduction, the body, and the conclusion all in a single page and you have to make sure that all of the sections link up to and connect to each other.
You have to plan out those sections properly in order for the writing process to be effective but we are here to help you with the planning. Read on to find out some helpful tips when structuring your 500-word essay.
Introduction
The introduction is where you are going to introduce the topics and issues that you are going to address in the body of the text. It is important that you keep your sentences broad and to the point in this segment.
You want to reveal the ideas and concepts in the introduction, but you do not want to go into the arguments yet. The introduction is usually the shortest part of the essay as well, so keep that in mind when you are planning it out and writing it.
The Body
Once you have laid out the foundations and the points you want to talk about in your introduction, you can then move on to the body of the essay.
The body is going to consist of the main bulk of words, so it’s ok (and right) for it to be longer than both the introduction and the conclusion.
You will use the body to argue and/or prove the points you mentioned in the introduction. As this is only a 500-word essay, you still need to make sure that you keep your sentences to the point.
Try not to make them too long and try not to go off on any tangents.
You can use multiple paragraphs here, but make sure to keep them under 100 words each, and remember, you only have 500 words to play with and some of them need to be used in the introduction and the conclusion too.
Conclusion
To wrap your essay up, you then need to write the conclusion. As you only have 500 words to play with, you can keep this section short and sweet.
You need to use the conclusion to wrap up the arguments and points you talked about in the body and you need to summarize what you have been talking about.
You want everything to wrap up so it comes to a concrete conclusion, so again, keep it to the point and aim to not go off on any tangents!
Conclusion
500 words might seem like a lot of words at first, but once you break it down, you will see that it isn’t that much to begin with. 500 words amounts to roughly 1 full A4 page when using single spaces, and 2 full A4 pages when double-spaced.
If you need to write a 500-word essay, it can be a bit of a challenge, but if you plan it out first, you should be fine!
