per-word rate calculator

Per-word works best when the scope is predictable and drafting is the bulk of the job: blog posts, straightforward articles, listicles. Hourly is safer when the work is research-heavy or involves interviews and rounds of stakeholder feedback, because per-word silently punishes you for every hour that is not writing.

Whichever the client quotes, convert it here first. A per-word rate only tells you something once you know how many hours the piece will actually take.

Multiply your per-word rate by the total word count. If you charge $0.15/word for a 1,000-word piece, that's $150. This calculator does that automatically and also shows you the per-page equivalent and estimated hours so you can sanity-check the number.

Divide the project fee by the total word count. A $300 fee for a 2,000-word article works out to $0.15/word. Use the "I know the project fee" mode in this calculator and it will reverse-engineer the per-word rate for you.

Multiply the per-word rate by the word count to get the fee, then divide that fee by the hours the job actually takes. At $0.12/word, a 1,500-word piece pays $180. Six hours end to end makes that $30/hour.

The division is the easy part. The mistake is in the denominator: most writers count drafting only. Three hours of drafting on that same piece would have looked like $60/hour, twice the real figure. Count the brief, the research, the interviews, the revision rounds, the CMS upload, and the calls. Enter your writing speed above and this calculator estimates those hours for you, so the hourly figure it returns is the one you are actually paid.

Per-word rates can be misleading if you write different types of content at different speeds. A $0.10/word blog post that you can write in 2 hours might net you more per hour than a $0.20/word white paper that takes 10 hours. Effective hourly rate (total fee ÷ hours worked) is the only metric that lets you compare jobs on equal footing.

It depends on formatting. Common standards: 250 words per manuscript page (standard in book publishing), 275 words for double-spaced academic formatting, and 500 words for a single-spaced business document. Use the preset buttons in the calculator to switch between them.

Writing speed here means finished words per hour, not raw typing speed. Finished words account for research, outlining, drafting, and light self-editing. Typical range for professional writers: 300–800 words/hr for articles; 150–400 words/hr for technical or deeply researched content; up to 1,000–1,500 for familiar topics. If you are unsure, start with 500 and refine it by tracking your next few projects.

There is no single right answer, each format has its place. Per-word is transparent and common in journalism and content marketing. Per-project is better for complex work where scope varies. Per-hour protects you on unpredictable or revision-heavy projects. Per-page is used in some technical and academic fields.

If you already know your hourly floor, use this calculator to translate it into content pricing. If you still need to find that hourly floor first, start with the freelance writing rate calculator.