page count

How Many Pages Are There in the Bible?

What may appear to be a relatively simple question has, in fact, no single answer. For those looking for a general answer to the question, “How many pages are there in the bible?” the answer would be “The average bible has around 1,200 pages.” This is a general approximation and there are a lot of factors which can make the number of pages of a particular bible be much less or much more than this number. Anyone seeking a definitive answer to the question of the number of pages in the bible needs to realize that a combination of variables can come into play.

What books of the bible have been included?

If one were to take a look at the Catholic bible, for example, the additional books of the Apocrypha (religious texts not found in most bibles) would have to be included. The Apocrypha alone would add a substantial number of pages when compared to a standard bible, such as the King James edition.

While most bibles do not include the Apocrypha, they are at least comprised of both the New and Old testaments. Unfortunately, the rule does not apply to The Living Bible. This version of the bible only includes the New Testament. A bible of this nature would end up having far fewer pages. Since different bible editions include different writings, each edition differs in the number of pages it has.

The format of the bible

Bibles with no pages are more common than you think. In some circles, bibles with no pages are quite the rage. Electronic or digital versions of the bible, without any physical pages, can be easily acquired be being downloaded from the internet or shared via memory cards, CD’s etc.

But there are other factors that influence the number of pages found in any bible. Font, spacing, page width and height; margins and other print related issues would most certainly cause variation in the number of pages in a bible (and why most teachers make assignments by word count instead of page count). A large font, typed in bold and with double spacing would obviously require more pages. The opposite approach, using a small font with single spacing, would require fewer pages. The exact same bible with the exact same number of words will often have a different number of pages depending on how the publisher took these into account.

The specific version of the bible

Certain languages and translations will also impact on how many pages there are in the bible. Great discrepancies can occur even among similar versions. The King James Version of the bible may have more pages than the Revised Standard Version or the New American Standard Version.

Because the number of pages in different bibles varies so dramatically, the name of the book in the bible being referenced, the chapter and verse number help us to be “on the same page” when discussing a biblical text. Biblical scholars realized that different versions and translations of the bible could impede research. Page 20 of my King James Version may be completely different to page 20 of your more modern version. This would lead to confusion.

By slicing the bible into chunks, research can be more accurate. In fact, you can go to an exact phrase in the bible. It’s a system applauded by scholars.

On average, how many pages are in the bible?

If you took a run of the mill, everyday bible, and you managed to count all the pages, you would have the following:

The Old Testament has 929 chapters. It has 23,214 verses which comprise roughly 622,700 words. The New Testament consists of 260 chapters, divided into 7,959 verses or roughly 184,600 words. This would give our typical bible 1,189 chapters. These are made up of 31,173 verses and using a rough word count, this amounts to 807,370 words, although the King James Authorized Bible has 783,137 words.

Using a standard font, the average bible has around 1,200 pages. As a book, the bible is as thick as “The Lord of the Rings” and similar fantasy novel epics. The difference is that the bible contains history and philosophy, and can be used for spiritual guidance. And that, I believe, is the best answer you will ever get to this question.

(Photo courtesy of Ryk Neethling)

How Many Pages Is 2000 Words?

This is a question we get from time to time. There are instances when you’re given an assignment, not by word count, but assigned by the number of pages. For example, “Write a paper four pages long.” If you get an assignment to write four pages, one of the first questions that will likely come to mind is, “How many words are in four pages?” If you need to figure out words per page, you can use a words per page calculator.

The truth is there is no definitive answer to this question. The number of words it will take to fill a page will depend on a number of factors including the type of font used, the font size, spacing elements, the margins used on the paper, the paragraph length, etc. For example, if the assignment says the writing should be in 10-point font, it’s going to take a greater number of words to fill a page than if the assignment requires a 12-point font.

For those who need a general rule of thumb, a typical page which has 1-inch margins and is typed in 12 point font with standard spacing elements will be approximately 500 words when typed single spaced. For assignments that require double spacing, it would take approximately 250 words to fill the page. For an assignment that requires you to write four pages, you can make the estimation that you’ll need to write approximately 2000 words for a single spaced paper, or 1000 words if the assignment is double spaced. Again, the type of font used can make the word count higher or lower, but it’s a good rule of thumb for those who are simply looking for a general estimation.

Since there can be a large variation on the number of words needed to fill a page, most papers are no longer assigned by page count. They are instead assigned by word count. That is, an assignment, essay or paper will likely be assigned as 1500 – 2000 words rather than 3 – 4 pages. This way it is much more difficult for the writer to “game the system” by using large fonts and excessive spacing to meet the writing criteria.

If you are given a writing assignment with a page number, the best thing to do is go directly to the person who made the assignment and ask for a word count. This will take away all the variations and help ensure your writing assignment meets expectations. If it’s for something informal and you simply need a general guideline, you can find it below.

How many pages is…

The below list is an approximation, and actual pages will differ depending on a number of factors mentioned earlier in this article. Use the below information for a general reference, but don’t assume it will be the case at all times. Here are basic word to pages conversions:

500 words is 1 page single spaced, 2 pages double spaced.
1,000 words is 2 pages single spaced 4 pages double spaced.
1,500 words is 3 pages single spaced, 6 pages double spaced.
2,000 words is 4 pages single spaced, 8 pages double spaced.
2,500 words is 5 pages single spaced, 10 pages double spaced.
3,000 words is 6 pages single spaced, 12 pages double spaced.
4,000 words is 8 pages single spaced, 16 pages double spaced.
5,000 words is 10 pages single spaced, 20 pages double spaced.
7,500 words is 15 pages single spaced, 30 pages double spaced.
10,000 words is 20 pages single spaced, 40 pages double spaced.
20,000 words is 40 pages single spaced, 80 pages double spaced.
25,000 words is 50 pages single spaced, 100 pages double spaced.
30,000 words is 60 pages single spaced, 120 pages double spaced.
40,000 words is 80 pages single spaced, 160 pages double spaced.
50,000 words is 100 pages single spaced, 200 pages double spaced.
60,000 words is 120 pages single spaced, 240 pages double spaced.
70,000 words is 140 pages single spaced, 280 pages double spaced.
75,000 words is 150 pages single spaced, 300 pages double spaced.
80,000 words is 160 pages single spaced, 320 pages double spaced.
90,000 words is 180 pages single spaced, 360 pages double spaced.
100,000 words is 200 pages single spaced, 400 pages double spaced.

Below are basic pages to words conversions:

1 page is 500 words single spaced, 250 words double spaced.
2 pages is 1,000 words single spaced, 500 words double spaced.
3 pages is 1,500 words single spaced, 750 words double spaced.
4 pages is 2,000 words single spaced, 1,000 words double spaced.
5 pages is 2,500 words single spaced, 1,250 words double spaced.
6 pages is 3,000 words single spaced, 1,500 words double spaced.
7 pages is 3,500 words single spaced, 1,750 words double spaced.
8 pages is 4,000 words single spaced, 2,000 words double spaced.
9 pages is 4,500 words single spaced, 2,250 words double spaced.
10 pages is 5,000 words single spaced, 2,500 words double spaced.
15 pages is 7,500 words single spaced, 3,750 words double spaced.
20 pages is 10,000 words single spaced, 5,000 words double spaced.
25 pages is 12,500 words single spaced, 6,250 words double spaced.
30 pages is 15,000 words single spaced, 7,500 words double spaced.
40 pages is 20,000 words single spaced, 10,000 words double spaced.
50 pages is 25,000 words single spaced, 12,500 words double spaced.
60 pages is 30,000 words single spaced, 15,000 words double spaced.
70 pages is 35,000 words single spaced, 17,500 words double spaced.
75 pages is 37,500 words single spaced, 18,750 words double spaced.
80 pages is 40,000 words single spaced, 20,000 words double spaced.
90 pages is 45,000 words single spaced, 22,500 words double spaced.
100 pages is 50,000 words single spaced, 25,000 words double spaced.

(Photo courtesy of Horia Varlan)