The short answer
One page of a typical printed book holds roughly 250 to 300 words. The number publishers reach for when they need a single figure is 275 words per page, which assumes a standard trade trim size, an 11- or 12-point serif font, and normal line spacing.
That figure is an average, not a law. The same chapter set in a smaller font on a wider page can run 350 words to the page; set in large print it might hold 180. And the most common version of this question — how many words on a manuscript page — has a different answer again, because manuscripts are double-spaced by convention.
So the honest answer depends on what you mean by 'page'. Below, we separate the three formats that get confused, give you the numbers for each, and show you how to calculate your own exact figure.
Three numbers to remember
- A printed book page holds about 250–300 words (≈275 average)
- A double-spaced manuscript page holds about 250 words
- An ebook page has no fixed word count — it reflows by device and font size
Manuscript vs book vs ebook
The word 'page' means three different things in publishing, and each carries a different word count. Mixing them up is the single biggest cause of confusion when authors try to estimate length.
Manuscript page
≈ 250 words
A submission manuscript is double-spaced in a 12-point font with one-inch margins. That standard format yields about 250 words per page, which is why agents and editors think in 'manuscript pages' rather than printed ones. A 250-page manuscript is roughly a 62,500-word book.
Printed book page
≈ 275 words
A finished, typeset book is single-spaced and packed more efficiently, so a printed page holds about 250–300 words. This is the page count readers see and the one Amazon KDP reports. The same novel always has far fewer printed pages than manuscript pages.
Ebook page
Varies
Ebooks reflow text to fit the screen, so there is no fixed words-per-page. A reader who bumps up the font size sees more pages; a tablet shows fewer. This is why Amazon uses estimated page counts and 'pages read' rather than a static figure for Kindle titles.
Words-per-page calculator
Pick a format to see its typical words per page, then read off what that means for a full book. Use it to convert between the page count you see and the word count editors actually track.
Words per page
320
words
A 300-page book at this rate
96,000
words
Want the page count for a finished manuscript instead? Divide your total word count by the words-per-page figure above. An 80,000-word novel at 275 is about 290 printed pages.
What changes the count
Four formatting choices decide how many words land on a single page. Understanding them lets you predict your page count before you ever typeset the book.
Font size and typeface
Going from 12pt to 11pt raises words per page by 10–15%. A condensed serif fits more than a wide one. Large-print editions at 14pt or above can cut the count nearly in half.
Line spacing
This is the big one. Double spacing — the manuscript standard — roughly halves the words per page compared with the single spacing of a printed book. Always check which spacing a quoted figure assumes.
Trim size
The physical page dimensions. A 6×9 page holds noticeably more text than a 5×8. Larger trim means more words per page and a lower total page count for the same manuscript.
Margins and white space
Wider margins shrink the text block and drop the words per page. Frequent chapter breaks, section breaks, and dialogue-heavy pages add white space, so a talky novel runs longer in pages than its word count implies.
Standard manuscript format
If you are submitting to agents or editors, formatting to the standard keeps your manuscript at the expected ~250 words per page and signals that you know the conventions. Here is the checklist.
- 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar serif)
- Double line spacing throughout the body text
- One-inch margins on all four sides
- First line of each paragraph indented half an inch — no extra blank lines between paragraphs
- Left-aligned text, not justified
- A header with your last name, title, and page number
- New chapters starting a third of the way down a fresh page
Stick to this and one page reliably equals about 250 words, so your stated page count and word count line up with what an editor expects.
Words per page: frequently asked questions
A printed book page holds about 250 to 300 words, with 275 a common working average. The exact figure depends on font size, line spacing, and trim size — smaller fonts and larger pages push it higher, large print pushes it lower.
Counting with confidence
There is no single answer to how many words sit on one page — but there is a reliable answer for each format: about 250 on a double-spaced manuscript page, around 275 on a printed book page, and a number that simply varies on an ebook. Decide which page you mean, apply the right figure, and your length estimates will hold up.
Word count is the stable number worth planning around; let page count follow from the format you choose. For more on shaping and polishing a manuscript to its right length, see our complete book editing guide. complete book editing guide