Words → Pages Estimator
How many printed pages is an 80,000-word novel? Enter your word count and trim size for an estimated KDP page count, spine width, and reading time. Free, no signup.
How word counts become page counts
A typical 6″ × 9″ trade paperback fits around 340 words on a full page of ordinary body text. Smaller trims fit fewer (a 5″ × 8″ runs closer to 300), bigger trims fit more, and your typography moves everything: a compact 10.5pt page with tight leading holds noticeably more than a roomy large-print layout. That's why this tool asks for a density and reports a range-minded estimate rather than pretending to precision.
Two adjustments most estimators skip. Real books carry front and back matter — title page, copyright, dedication, maybe a table of contents and an about-the-author page — which we approximate at 8 pages. And printed books always have an even page count, because every physical sheet has two sides, so the estimate rounds up. Chapters that each start on a fresh page (or a fresh right-hand page) add more; a 40-chapter novel can pick up 20+ pages from chapter breaks alone.
Why page count matters before you've formatted anything: it drives your printing cost (and therefore your minimum viable price), and it sets your spine width, which your cover designer needs. If the estimate says your epic lands near KDP's 828-page ceiling, that's worth knowing before the copyedit, not after.
Page-count questions, answered.
How many pages is an 80,000-word book?
At a typical 6 × 9 inch trade-paperback layout (about 340 words per page), an 80,000-word manuscript runs roughly 235 body pages — call it 245 to 250 once front matter and chapter breaks are in. On a smaller 5 × 8 trim it stretches closer to 280.
How many words fit on one printed book page?
Around 300 words on a 5 × 8 inch page and 340 on a 6 × 9, assuming ordinary body type. Compact typesetting pushes past 380; large-print or generously leaded layouts drop below 290. Dialogue-heavy fiction also runs fewer words per page than dense narration.
How accurate is a words-to-pages estimate?
Within about ±15% for standard trade typesetting. Font choice, point size, leading, margins, and how many chapters start on a fresh page all move the real number. Use the estimate for planning — printing cost, spine width, pricing — and get the exact count from your formatted interior before ordering a cover.
What is the minimum and maximum page count for KDP?
KDP prints paperbacks from 24 to 828 pages (black ink; standard color tops out at 600). Very short works may need padding to reach 24 pages, and very long epics sometimes split into two volumes to stay under the ceiling — and under a survivable printing cost.
How long does it take to read an 80,000-word book?
At an average adult pace of roughly 225 words per minute, about 6 hours of straight reading. That is also a useful sanity check for audiobook length: narration runs slower, usually around 9,300 words per finished hour, so the same book is closer to 8.5 hours narrated.
Writers in Pendrilo skip the estimating — the studio formats your real interior and reports the exact page count, then sizes the matching cover. The free tier includes a full book with every writing tool, no credit card needed.
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