How long is 1,000 words?

What 1,000 words is usually for

A thousand words is the most commonly set essay length in undergraduate teaching, and it is chosen deliberately. It is long enough to require a structured argument and short enough that a marker can read thirty of them in an afternoon.

It is also where most writers first meet the real difficulty of a word limit: you will have more material than space. Deciding what to leave out is the skill being assessed, more than the writing itself.

In practice this length covers a standard undergraduate essay, a substantial blog post, or a detailed report section.

Shaping it

An introduction of roughly 100 words, three body sections of about 250, and a conclusion of 150. If your introduction passes 150 words you are writing the essay twice.

When you are over

Look at your conclusion first. A conclusion that restates each section in turn is a summary of something the reader finished ninety seconds ago, and it can usually lose half its length without loss.

Drop the essay into the word counter for the exact count and the page estimate together.

Nearest lengths: 750 words and 1,500 words. Other common targets: 250 words, 500 words, 2,000 words, or the full word count reference.

Common questions