The four fiction categories
Publishers, magazines and competitions all set their own limits, but the two best-known definitions agree with each other. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association uses these word counts in its Nebula Awards rules, and the Hugo Awards use the same boundaries for their fiction categories. The pages are for a double-spaced manuscript in 12 pt Times New Roman on Letter paper with 1 inch margins, at the 416 words per page we measured for how many pages 1,000 words is. Reading time uses 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading rate from the review behind how long it takes to read 1,000 words.
| Category | Words | Pages, double spaced | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story | under 7,500 | up to 18 | up to 32 min |
| Novelette | 7,500 to 17,499 | 18 to 42 | 32 min to 1 h 14 min |
| Novella | 17,500 to 39,999 | 42 to 96 | 1 h 14 min to 2 h 48 min |
| Novel | 40,000 or more | 96 or more | 2 h 48 min or more |
Two things the table does not say. The novel line is a floor, not a typical length: 40,000 words is where the novella category ends, and a book can be two or three times that. And the short story line is a ceiling: nothing in the rules says a story should approach it. Paste a draft into the word counter to see which category it falls in; the count updates as you edit.
Word counts to pages, reading time and writing days
The table extends the arithmetic to the lengths people actually ask about. Single spacing uses the measured 837 words per page for the same font and paper. The last column assumes 500 words of first draft a day, which is a pace many writers keep next to a job; at 1,000 words a day, halve the figure.
| Words | Double spaced | Single spaced | Reading time | Days at 500/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 2.4 pages | 1.2 | 4 min | 2 |
| 2,500 | 6.0 pages | 3.0 | 11 min | 5 |
| 5,000 | 12 pages | 6.0 | 21 min | 10 |
| 7,500 | 18 pages | 9.0 | 32 min | 15 |
| 10,000 | 24 pages | 12 | 42 min | 20 |
| 17,500 | 42 pages | 21 | 1 h 14 min | 35 |
| 25,000 | 60 pages | 30 | 1 h 45 min | 50 |
| 40,000 | 96 pages | 48 | 2 h 48 min | 80 |
| 50,000 | 120 pages | 60 | 3 h 30 min | 100 |
| 60,000 | 144 pages | 72 | 4 h 12 min | 120 |
| 80,000 | 192 pages | 96 | 5 h 36 min | 160 |
| 100,000 | 240 pages | 119 | 7 h 0 min | 200 |
| 120,000 | 288 pages | 143 | 8 h 24 min | 240 |
Reading time is the number to remember when you pitch or submit. A 7,500-word story is about 32 min of a reader's attention; a 100,000-word novel is 7 h 0 min, which is why editors and agents often ask for the first chapter or the first 10,000 words rather than the whole manuscript. If your own text reads faster or slower than average, the readability checker shows why: long sentences and long words push the grade level up and slow the reader down.
Why pages are a poor unit
A page is whatever the font, size, spacing and paper make it. The same 1,000 words fill about 2.4 pages double spaced and 1.2 single spaced in 12 pt Times New Roman, and a different font moves both figures again. Manuscript conventions settled on double spacing precisely so that a page count meant roughly the same thing from one writer to the next, but any limit that matters is given in words. When a form or a contest states pages, convert with the settings it names, or ask for the word count.
Character limits are a separate unit again. Submission forms, bios and synopsis fields often cap characters rather than words, and a word limit tells you nothing exact about characters because word length varies. The character counter gives both counts, with and without spaces, so you can check a 1,500-character bio and a 300-word synopsis in the same paste.
Essays, papers and assignments
There is no general rule for how long an essay should be. The length is set by the assignment, the course or the journal, and the only reliable source is the brief in front of you. What you can do is turn that brief into something concrete:
- Limit in words. Count with the word counter and treat the limit as a ceiling, not a target. Most briefs tolerate a few percent either way, but the instructions decide, so read them.
- Limit in pages. Ask which font, size and spacing apply. A 5-page double-spaced paper is about 2,080 words in 12 pt Times New Roman on Letter paper; the same 5 pages single spaced hold about 4,185.
- Limit in time. A 10-minute presentation script or a 3-minute speech is a word count too, at a speaking rate rather than a reading rate. The reading-time guide covers the difference.
- No limit stated. Match the scope of the question. A single-paragraph answer rarely needs more than the 150 words that the federal plain-language guidance recommends as a paragraph maximum; a research paper needs however many sections the argument has.
Reading time applies here as well. A 2,000-word essay takes a marker about 8 min to read at 238 words per minute, a 5,000-word paper about 21 min. If a reader has forty of them, that is one reason concise writing gets a warmer reception.
Using the numbers to plan
Work backwards from the category you want to land in and the pace you can keep:
- Pick the target. A novella to submit to a magazine means between 17,500 and 39,999 words; aim for the middle so cuts and additions in revision do not push you over a line.
- Divide by your daily output. 17,500 words at 500 a day is 35 days of drafting; 40,000 words is 80.
- Track the count, not the pages. Keep the running total from the word counter in your notes, and record it per session so a slow week is visible early.
- Reserve time for revision. First drafts usually shrink or grow by a noticeable margin in editing, which is another reason not to draft right up to a category boundary.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a novel?
The Nebula Awards rules and the Hugo Awards categories both define a novel as a work of 40,000 words or more. That is the lower edge, not a typical length; the categories only say where a novella ends and a novel begins. At the measured 416 words per double-spaced page in 12 pt Times New Roman, 40,000 words is about 96 manuscript pages.
How many words is a novella?
From 17,500 to 39,999 words under the Nebula rules, which the Hugo categories match. That is roughly 42 to 96 double-spaced pages, and it takes about 1 h 14 min to 2 h 48 min to read silently at 238 words per minute.
How many words is a short story?
Fewer than 7,500 words in both award definitions. Many published stories are far shorter; the limit is only a ceiling. At 238 words per minute a 7,500-word story takes about 32 min to read, and a 2,500-word story about 11 min.
What is a novelette?
The category between short story and novella: at least 7,500 words but fewer than 17,500 under the Nebula rules, the same span the Hugo Awards use. Outside awards and magazines the word is rare, and most people call anything in that range a long short story.
How long should an essay or a paper be?
As long as the assignment says. Essay lengths are set by the teacher, the course or the submission form, not by any general rule, so read the brief and check whether the limit is in words or pages. If it is in pages, ask which font, size and spacing it assumes, because the same words fill anywhere from half to twice as many pages depending on those settings.
How long does it take to write a novel?
That depends on your daily output, which is the only number you control. At 500 words a day, a 40,000-word draft takes 80 days of writing and an 80,000-word draft 160 days. At 1,000 words a day, halve those figures. Revision usually takes longer than the first draft.
Sources
- SFWA, Nebula Awards rules, section 8 (short story fewer than 7,500 words; novelette at least 7,500 but fewer than 17,500; novella at least 17,500 but fewer than 40,000; novel 40,000 words or more)
- Digital.gov, Plain language guide, Clear and short (paragraphs of no more than 150 words in three to eight sentences, never more than 250)
- The Hugo Awards, Hugo Award categories (Best Novel 40,000 words or more; Best Novella 17,500 to 40,000; Best Novelette 7,500 to 17,500; Best Short Story less than 7,500 words)