Essay Word Count Planner

Plan your essay structure to hit your word count target exactly — split words across introduction, main arguments and conclusion with recommended proportions.

Total word count target

Essay structure

Number of main arguments / sections

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Fill in the details to get your result.

How This Works

Standard academic essays use a 10/80/10 structure: 10% for introduction (context, thesis, roadmap), 80% for the body arguments, 10% for the conclusion (summary, implications, final argument). Each body section should be roughly equal length unless one argument requires significantly more evidence and analysis.

Usually no — in most UK universities, in-text citations count but the reference list at the end does not. Footnotes may or may not count depending on the style (check your department guidelines). Titles, headers, tables and figure captions are usually excluded. If in doubt, ask your module leader — word count rules vary significantly between departments.