essay word count hacks

10 Ways to Increase Your Essay Word Count (AI Included)

Table of contents

One of the biggest challenges students face is writing long-form essays of 2,000 words or more.

Someone brought this up at a recent webinar I attended, and I couldn't help but think back to my freshman year. Several years ago, I had to write a long essay on an interesting but unfamiliar subject. It took me a lot longer than it should.

After writing hundreds of articles, essays and reports, I've developed my own list of 'smart hacks' to help increase word count on any written piece. 

Let's dive into the word count expansion strategies I use today when I write various texts.

How NOT to increase word count

Adding fluff words.

Adding meaningless words only confuses the core arguments and distracts the evaluator. Whatever merit your actual content may have had will be obscured by a mountain of meaningless words.

The sentence in my essay read,

"Violent acts by adults are often caused by childhood exposure to violence.".  

If I try to forcedly add fluff words to expand the text, my sentence would sound stretched:

“Violent acts are often associated with the fact that adults who commit violent acts - acts that are seen as savage, harsh, rough, physically abusive, or otherwise unacceptable in society - have been exposed to similar harsh or extreme violence during their childhoods or when they were young”.

Voice and tone

Although passive voice makes a sentence longer, I have found that my writing is much sharper when I use active voice. Also, do not confuse the need to use a formal or academic tone with passive voice.

Quoting without context

This one is like digging yourself into a hole. I quoted so many out-of-context references that I found my essay running on all sorts of tangents. After spending hours trying to connect the dots between the tangents, I ended up having to rewrite the entire piece because I was unable to justify the distracting content. 

Mindless paraphrasing

You hear it from your professor, and spew it back at her. Mindlessly repeating content in different sections of an essay - as if your teacher wouldn't notice, won't really help you ace your courses.

Even more mistakes

After asking some of my classmates, I found out that some of them had resorted to even worse hacks that eventually got them in trouble:

• Using filler words - In order to fill more pages, some diverge from the specified format and increase fonts, margins, and spacing. You will lose credibility if you do this, and you will also lose points if you deviate from the writing style specified.
• Plagiarism - Plagiarizing large chunks from others' essays or research papers was not only seen as lazy, but it was a fast way from a not-so-great grade to a failed grade.
• Other sneaky tricks - These included whitening out gibberish text and increasing the size of periods. Teachers have seen it all and know every trick in the book.

The right way to increase word count

Eventually, my word count increased in a way that makes each word actually count (pardon the pun), and it turns out there are some pretty cool tricks to do that.

With the right tools and techniques, you spend less time on the heavy lifting, more time on the actual writing, and at the end of the day, you have a much more comprehensive essay that is a delight to read. =

1. Use an AI writing tool

Skip the manual paraphrasing and use a smart AI writing tool. For example, I added almost 50 words to a 125-word paragraph using Wordtune’s text expand feature .

How to add more sentences to a paragraph

One method to expand your word count is to find short paragraphs and adding more sentences that clarify what they mean. This task used to be pretty frustrating, but with the use of AI it's made simple. Start by going over the essay, and notice if there's a paragraph that stands out in terms of being lean and overly simplified. Paste that paragraph into the Wordtune editor, and click the 'Plus' icon.

You'll be able to expand the article in any number of ways, including adding an explanation, an analogy, a counterargument, or even a simple continuation of your idea. Then, simply scroll through the different suggestions that AI produces, and find the best one.

2. Take advantage of outlines

It may seem counter-intuitive, but completing your outline can help you meet your word count goal.

Say you need to turn a 200-word article into a 1,500-word essay. Make an outline of the article before trying to tackle this seemingly impossible task of writing the whole piece.This will give you a clearer picture of how your entire thesis works and how to logically support it.

As an example, suppose we're writing an essay on why kids shouldn't play phone games.

To begin, you need to summarize your message in a few sentences. For example:

‍ “Kids have susceptible brains, and games can change the whole chemistry of their brains in a bad way, causing them to go off on tantrums and screaming fits. Moreover, these games form addictive habits that will persist when the kids become older. By continuing to play phone games, the kids fail to develop emotionally, and may become unsocial introverted people. Moreover, there are signs that games make kids more violent and emotionally unstable. Since phones are always at reach, kids can continuously play throughout the day, not stopping even when eating lunch or when attending a school class.”

Before expanding it, write an outline to get a sense of its structure and flow. As a result, you can easily determine how much text is needed for each section, which ones require expanded text, and which ones can be kept brief.  This clarity not only helps me reduce anxiety, but also gives me a clear plan of action to finish this essay!

For example, for the paragraph on video games, my outline would look something like this:

Introduction (include statistics and research to argue that video games are harmful for kids) and state the thesis (250 words) Negative effects of video games on children: first build larger categories and then substantiate with smaller points, evidence and data within each point: - Effects on emotional development (200 words) - Effects on physical development (200 words) - Effects on social development (200 words) - Effects on intellectual development (200 words) Give counter-views Cite research that talks about potential positive effects of video games, if used the proper way and under supervision (250 words) Give solutions State why parents find it so hard to keep kids away from video games, especially mobile video games, and offer concrete solutions to set better boundaries with kids for video game usage (250 words) Conclusion Offer a strong conclusion that brings all of the essay together in a summary (250 words)

Note that I’ve planned to write a few hundred more words than the prescribed word limit, so I have scope to edit and tighten later on. 

3. Expand your text with intros and conclusions

I use this method all the time to get unstuck and write longer articles without worrying about word counts.

Let's say you finish expanding your outline, and the article is still short a few hundred words.

Two places you should consider expanding are the introduction and conclusion.

How does this work?

• In the introduction and conclusion, you can add free-flowing stories, ideas and paragraphs, without having to validate each sentence with technical reference, sources and quotes.
• You can use anecdotes, personal experiences, news articles, and research findings to introduce your topic, or to close it.
• You can also go into detail about why you were motivated to explore the topic in more depth and why it has helped you to develop your argument. We wrote about essay hooks in more detail here, so be sure to check it out.
• Remind readers why this entire argument matters at the human level in the conclusion. This is done by repeating the topic, the core of your argument, and why you have justified your thesis. 

Add these elements to your introduction and conclusion, and you will quickly reach your essay quota.

Here's an example from the Wordtune blog of an anecdote placed as part of the intro:

4. Use examples to illustrate your point

It is always helpful to provide examples to illustrate complex academic or technical points. As well as adding color and descriptiveness to your own words, examples help your arguments come to life in a way that academic writing cannot. Having read several essays about the same topic, your evaluator will probably find it enjoyable to read something more creative and genuine. 

Examples also help readers visualize your narrative. The situations can be real or imagined, but they must be authentic, relatable, and most importantly, relevant to your topic. Providing examples from your real-life experience will demonstrate to the teacher that you understand your topic.

I started this article by describing my experience as a freshman. The challenges I faced as a student are similar to those you are currently facing, so sharing my journey will help you learn from my mistakes.

5. Invest in serious research 

Research is the most effective way to increase a paper's word count. 

The more research you conduct, the more ideas, perspectives, and information you have to base your arguments on. 

Research takes time and effort, which you may or may not have. 

Here's where my smart tools come into play.

No matter how long a paper is, Wordtune Read will give you all the key highlights.

The following is a composite screenshot of how Wordtune Read summarized the effects of video games on children from a long and complex article. The key highlights on the right help you distill the core messages of the research in minutes, condensing hours of reading into minutes.

In just a few steps, you can add at least two supporting arguments or stats for each point you have in your outline. And just like that, you have several hundred very relevant words, added almost effortlessly to your essay.

6. Ask 'Why' questions

At this stage, the research has already provided you with some solid perspectives, but there's nothing like adding some original perspectives to the existing body of research. Asking ‘why’ questions is an effective way to do this. In addition to strengthening your arguments, it will also enhance your essay with relevant and original content.

Think back to the example of the negative effects of video games on children. Let's say one of the arguments you have is "phone games cause emotional issues". Use a series of 'why' questions to dig deeper into the text. 

Ask questions like: "why is that true?", "Why is it important?", etc. For each answer, ask another why question and develop some original angles based on the insights that may emerge. 

While it beats manual paraphrasing in terms of speed, I felt it also improved the overall quality of the writing.

7. Address the counter view

It's a foolproof way to score brownie points with tutors and also add some value - and word count - to your essay. 

Counter views or counterpoints are positions diametrically opposed to your own.

I argue, for example, that video games negatively affect children in the essay about video games. There is always some literature available (and there is always some literature available) on the counter-side of why and under what circumstances video games can actually have a positive impact on children. I am able to write a pretty solid section on that topic. 

By balancing the pros and cons of both arguments, I will also be able to bridge the two points of view.

Just like that, you've added about 200 words to your essay!

8. Use quotes and references

While the bibliography section doesn’t usually count towards the overall essay word count, there are some easy tricks you can use to maximize the references. Once you are done with the essay, run through your list of citations and find interesting quotes that you may have missed, which you can now incorporate.

9. Get feedback from a friend

If you're like me, working on the same essay for a long time with complete immersion means you develop blind spots to obvious misses and flaws in your text. This could be especially problematic for non-native English speakers .

Ask a trusted friend or peer to look over your essay again. Share your essay on Gdoc with your friends and find out if they spot something that seems missing, out of place, or that stands out like a sore thumb.

Also, ask them to question your assumptions in the essay - this may give you new angles and perspectives to explore, thus expanding the word count even further.

Your friends will help you find the problematic paragraphs in your writing and make them more concise and effective .

10. Add text while editing

Once you have finished writing your essay, you can use the review stage to edit and add text to your essay.

This is another great opportunity to use your AI writing tool, and get suggestions for ways to make your sentences more fluent . You can also replace superfluous words with stronger vocabulary, and pick alternative ways to word sentences that contain repetitive words.

Try and spot long, convoluted sentences and break them up to smaller sentences.

Keep it long and interesting

Essays that meet the prescribed criteria, including word count, indicate to your teachers that you not only possess subject matter knowledge, but also writing, grammar, logic, research, and communication skills.

You can find interesting angles even in the most mundane sounding topics if you challenge yourself to do the work and not worry too much about the word count. With the 11 smart hacks - including use of the smart writing tools - essay writing and meeting the specified word count becomes much easier! 

Learning how to expand a text in an interesting way - and not just by adding fluff - makes you a better writer regardless of the format - essays, reports, statements of purpose - even books! 

Share This Article:

8 Tips for E-commerce Copywriting Success (with Examples!)

The Brand Strategy Deck You Need to Drive Social Media Results + 5 Examples

Grammarly Alternatives: Which Writing Assistant is the Best Choice for You?

Looking for fresh content, thank you your submission has been received.

• How It Works
• Prices & Discounts

How to Make an Essay Longer Than It Really Is: 9 Hacks that Work

Table of contents

Share this article

Achieve Academic Success with Expert Assistance!

Crafted from Scratch for You.

Ensuring Your Work’s Originality.

Transform Your Draft into Excellence.

Perfecting Your Paper’s Grammar, Style, and Format (APA, MLA, etc.).

Calculate the cost of your paper

Get ideas for your essay

How to Increase your Essay's Word Count

It happens. You pour your heart out to write the perfect college essay. You've included everything you could possibly think of in your work. Before you submit your magnificent piece of writing, you enter the essay into a word counter.

And there it is: You've come up short on your word count .

Whether it's a college application, a scholarship essay, or a report for class, word counts can be daunting sometimes. And when you come up short, there are solutions available to bulk up your writing.

This article will help you find ways to add to your word count without sacrificing on the quality of your work.

1. Know your Goal and How to Measure It Accurately

Is the requirement 800–1000 words? Is it 500 words maximum? Knowing the exact word goal is crucial when beginning to write, especially for something as important as a college entrance essay or a scholarship competition. Always be sure to read the detailed requirements for each assignment.

It's also important to use an accurate word counter for essays to calculate your word count. Find a reliable online tool to help you track your word count as you're working so you can have peace of mind that you're creating something that fits the requirements you've been given.

Once you've figured out what word count you're aiming for, it's common to look for some short cuts to help estimate your word count as you work. Some writers ask, " How many pages is 1,000 words? ". Although this varies with font type, font size, and spacing choices, generally speaking, double-spaced, typed fonts provide about 250 words per page.

Remember this is just a general rule. Always verify with a word counter before you submit a piece of writing such as a college essay.

2. Be Aware of What NOT To Do

When writers fall short of word counts, they sometimes add filler words that don't improve the quality of the writing at all. Adding pointless fillers will instead make the writing weaker.

Does the following sound familiar?

You add a few more random words, ask yourself, "How many words is this now?", check it in a word counter, and then repeat this process until you've reached the desired word count.

Though I've been guilty of this myself once or twice, this is NOT the way to properly bulk up your essay.

Being wordy in your writing does not make you appear more intelligent. If you start adding miscellaneous words to your essays, it becomes very, very, very, very obvious to your reader. (See what I did there?) It would be really, really redundant and repetitive and even more redundant to just add extra words that essentially mean the same thing. (See. I did it again.)

What you choose to add to your writing needs to be high quality and necessary. This next hint will help you add words that will enhance your writing instead of hurting it.

3. Reread Your Essay and Dig Deeper

There are many ways to add quality content to your essays that will increase your word count while still improving your work. Here are some ways to dig deeper into your writing:

Add More Details

Look for places where you might have been vague and clarify. Remember to always try to show—don't tell .

For example, let's say you previously wrote: "My feet were cold."

Can you show us "cold"? Perhaps add details to explain: "My toes were tingling and numb from the chilling, icy snow that was seeping into my tattered shoes."

These details add to your word count while painting a clear picture for your reader.

Offer an Example

If it's appropriate, offer an example.

In a college application essay, you might state, "I have won several awards." However, it's more powerful to provide an example of a specific award that has a deeper meaning: "Winning the most improved player award for volleyball was a proud moment for me. It celebrated how far I had come and how hard I had to work to become a better player for myself and my teammates."

Support Arguments with More Facts and Quotes

Find areas where you are trying to make a point, and back these statements up with more detail. Is there a quality fact you can add to support your case? Is there a great quote from an expert that will help? Adding more solid evidence to your argument can help make your opinion stronger and more supported.

Change Up Your Introduction and Conclusion

The beginning and end of your essay tend to be more flexible than the body. If you feel the body of your essay is already well-supported and doesn't need more information, perhaps it's time to rework the intro or the conclusion . Is there an interesting story you can tell? Is there a way to wrap things up that is more compelling and ties your thoughts together in a more coherent way?

4. Ask a Peer for Help

Sometimes we can't see the gaps in our own writing, so asking a friend to help out can be useful.

Have your friend read through your piece and ask him for feedback. What isn't clear? What needs more explanation? What other questions does he have for you?

These questions can help guide you to places where you can expand and provide more details.

Getting an accurate word count is important for writing college essays and qualifying for scholarship opportunities. But you shouldn't just add any words to help you meet the required length; instead, make sure you're adding quality words to balance essay length with essay quality.

Using the tips mentioned above, you will be on your way to adding the bulk you need to reach your word count and improving your writing by crafting more details and clarifications that will ultimately produce a better piece of writing.

How to Write Essay Titles and Headers

Don’t overlook the title and section headers when putting together your next writing assignment. Follow these pointers for keeping your writing organized and effective.

101 Standout Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

Need a topic for your upcoming argumentative essay? We've got 100 helpful prompts to help you get kickstarted on your next writing assignment.

Writing a Standout College Admissions Essay

Your personal statement is arguably the most important part of your college application. Follow these guidelines for an exceptional admissions essay.

10 Ways to Increase Essay Word Count (AI Included)

• Sep 19, 2023
• By CopyScribe AI Team

Write 10x faster with AI

Stay ahead with the latest AI insights and tips. Subscribe to our newsletter and be in the loop!

Hey students, I know hearing “You have one day to complete a 2000-word essay” can feel like a horror movie tagline, especially when dealing with an unfamiliar topic and struggling to meet the word count. 

You might wonder, ” How will I stretch this into a full essay?” or “How to Increase Essay Word Count”.  But don’t stress; we’ve got your back!

Our game-changing solution is Copyscribe’s “ Text Extender ” tool and practical essay-writing techniques (like incorporating examples, quotes, and references). This combo will help you reach that daunting word count without pulling your hair out,  staring at a blank screen for hours, or wasting time and effort.

Are you curious about other effective methods to increase the word count of your essay while making it more engaging and informative for your readers?

 Stick around—we’ve compiled 10 awesome tips just for you to improve your essay and make it super captivating to read.

• Avoid using fluff words, passive voices, and repetitive words that affect the overall quality of your essay negatively and expand the number of words only.
• One of the most effective, quickest, and perfect ways to expand essay word count is using the AI powered paragraph expander feature “Text Extender” by Copyscribe.ai. It is an amazing sentence expander tool.
• You can also meet your word count requirements and make sentences longer by adding examples, references, and quotation in your essay.
• Researching your topic in detail is essential to writing a quality essay and more words.
• You can use the “General Writing” feature of Copyscribe.ai to bring more precision and perfection to your writing.
• Copyscribe is designed to improve your essay writing experience by introducing amazing features (such as text extender, content shortening, passive to active voice) and more.

So, take advantage of this magical AI-powered tool to write essays and assignments quickly.

Wrong Ways to Increase Your Essay Word Count

Do you know what is the most annoying aspect of writing an essay?

Spending hours to meet the required word count but still needs to achieve this goal. 

After choosing the writing style and completing the main ideas of your essay, it is heartbreaking and stressful to realize you are just halfway through completing the required word count.

Nevertheless, we recommend you refrain from using any illogical method to increase your essay’s word count, as using such shortcuts can decrease your content quality and make it challenging to understand what you wrote.

1-Don’t Include Fluff Words

Never include fluff words in your essay, as they can adversely affect your essay’s quality. Surely, fluff words can expand your word count from 12 to 45, but adding meaningless words can divert the targeted audience’s mind, and they will never get your essay’s main idea.

Here’s an example.

Augmented reality lets students see science ideas as pictures on a screen in the classroom or real life.

If we forcefully add fluff and irrelevant words to expand our terms it may look stretched and meaningless to readers. 

In the educational setting of a classroom or even in the real-world environment, augmented reality technology allows eager young minds to visually observe and interact with complex science concepts by transforming them into easily understandable, graphical images displayed on a digital screen.

The first phrase is simpler as it perfectly conveys the message without diverting readers (unlike the second one). So, expanding word count by adding fillers is the worst idea every student should avoid.

2-Avoid Using Passive Voices

No denial: passive voice makes sentences longer but you can express your ideas better and in simple words using active voice. Using passive voice (that too unnecessarily) in your academic papers can negatively affect your grades and your paper’s quality.

3-Avoid Repetitive Sentences

Want to ace your academic papers or essays? The trick is easy: don’t repeat the same points or sentences. Doing so confuses your readers and muddles your main point. For top-quality writing, vary your language and cover different ideas in each section. Besides, focus the word limit to make written essay enjoyable, easy to understand, and shows you know your stuff.

10 Ways to Increase Essay Word Count

Want to know the secret behind expanding your essay’s wordcount? 

We will share some cool hacks to increase word count in an essay without compromising the quality and readability of the content. 

Follow these hacks to take your essay to the next level and get higher grades.

1- Use an AI Paragraph Extender

Looking for the easy way to increase word count?

You can use AI tools to add extra sentences to your essay and expand the word count.

Yes, you heard it right!

For example, you can use the Copyscribe.ai “ Text Extender ” feature to increase  essay’s paragraphs.

You can easily use this amazing ‘Text Extender’ feature following these simple steps.

• Login to Copyscribe.ai > Templates > General Writing > Text Extender
• Choose the paragraph you want to expand and add it in the “Description” section.
• You can also add some main keywords in the “keywords” section.
• Choose “Language,” “Quality Type,” “Tone of Voice,” and “Number of Results”.
• To extend your essay, you can include the desired word count in the “Max Result Length” bar.
• Once you have added all the information.
• Click on “Generate.”

Following these simple steps and using this magical content generator tool will help you generate elaborative, up-to-the-mark, and relevant essays without spending too much time.

2-Create an Outline

If you want to write a well-written essay in a limited time, it may be appealing to dive in and start writing immediately. 

But hold your horses!

Have you crafted a solid outline?

With a solid outline, you can ensure quality write-up, meet targeted word count, and enjoy your entire writing process. 

With the proper outline, you can allocate the word count for each section or paragraph of your essay. Besides, it helps build a sturdy foundation for your essay. 

Every professional writer can tell you that preparing a thorough outline is one of the most critical steps in crafting and completing a quality essay.

No worries, if you have trouble creating an outline for your essay, you can also use AI tools . You can ask any of the conversational AIs to create a top-notch and relevant outline for your essay. 

Nevertheless, adding a detailed prompt and waiting for AI’s magic to craft an outline for you is important.

Copyscribe.ai’s “ Articles Outline ” is a way to go when creating an outline. 

Here’s how you can give an outline command.

• Log-in to copyscribe.ai
• Write “Article Outlines” in the search bar to look for this magical feature of Copyscribe.
• Mention “Blog Title”
• Choose language, quality type, tone of voice, and max result length.
• Click on “Generate” after adding all your commands.

Wow, you have generated the finest and most relevant outline for your essay in no time.

What are you waiting for? Your outline is ready; now, start writing!

3-Use Examples to Illustrate Your Point

If you want to increase your essay’s word count, including examples is one of the smartest techniques to contemplate. You can use examples to illustrate your ideas better. 

Moreover, it helps readers to understand your arguments better and drive your point home. It makes the essay engaging, convincing, and readable. 

Therefore, always incorporate some well-fitted and relevant examples to spice up your write-up and elevate your essay to a new level. Surely, its a great way to increase word count and quality of the essay. 

4-In-depth Research is the Key

No worries if you have a written assignment of minimum word count. Another effective method to increase your essay’s wordcount is to know more arguments and counterarguments relevant to your topic.

The better you know your topic, the more you can explain sentences and examples.

Its the best way to increase word count of your assignment without incorporating fluff or irrelevant content.

That’s why it is suggested to in-depth research your topic before the write-up starts.

Unless you are using AI word  count tool, research can take considerable time. Therefore, use AI tools to streamline your research process and access advantageous academic resources in less time.

5- Rework Introduction and Conclusion

It is another great way to expand your assignment’s or essay’s wordcount without incorporating irrelevant sentences and fluff words. 

Let’s say you have completed your essay’s outline, but it still requires 200-300 words to meet the word count requirement. 

You can expand the introduction and conclusion to meet this goal.

Do you know how it works?

• The introduction and conclusion are the two best places where you can add free-flowing stories, quotes, and ideas without citing them every time or mentioning sources. The smartest way to increase word count is to find additional sources.
• You can include personal experiences, anecdotes, news articles, and research findings to introduce or close your topic. This included whitening out gibberish text and increasing the size of the period.
• You can also write in detail about the motivation behind choosing this topic and your strategies for writing the essay.
• In the conclusion section, remind your readers why the specific argument matters at the human level. You can do it by repeating the topic, the core arguments discussed in the essay, and how you justified your topic.

You can add more content in these sections instead of including them in the body of the essay. So, add these elements to your essay’s introduction and conclusion to meet your targeted word count.

6-Add References and Quote

Quotes and references improve the credibility of your essay and make your content authentic to read. Also, its a perfect way to increase the word count without adding fluffs and fillers.

However, it is essential to know that more than adding references and quotes in your essay is needed; you must cite them properly in the citation list. 

If you don’t cite your sources, it may question your essay’s credibility. Also, it may lead to plagiarism and formatting errors. So, double-check your work and make sure the mentioned sources are well-attributed.

7-Ask Why Questions

It’s the stage where your research has already provided you with some logical perspectives. But, it’s better to add some original perspectives to the existing research to expand your paper’s word count.

You can ask “Why” questions to do this more effectively. It strengthens your arguments and provides relevant content to increase your word count. 

Think back to the example of “benefits of technology on education.”

 Let’s say one of your arguments is, “Excess use of technology may affect education negatively.”

You can add a series of “why” topics to dig deeper into the text. 

Ask questions like  “Why is it true?” “Why do you think it happens?” etc. Adding these questions will make your essay more interesting and increase the word count.

8-Address the Counter View

Using alternative point of view can also help increase the wordcount. Moreover, you impress your teachers and makes your essay better and longer using this smart strategy.

For example, if you discuss “technology is essential for students in the 21st century,” you can also discuss “how the negative use of technology can affect students’ grades,” etc.

Addressing the counter-views and arguments will balance your essay and show you have discussed both sides of the story. Thus, arguments must be added to the word count.

9-Get Your Friend’s Feedback

Surely, writing a 2000-word essay on a unique topic is an achievement for a student. That’s why most students overlook loopholes and flaws in their write-ups. It is a key concern and a problematic situation for non-native English speakers.

You can ask a peer or any of your trusted friends to look over your essay and recommend things you could add to your essay. Share your essay on a Gdoc with your peer/friend to get their valued feedback. They can highlight something missing, misplaced, or looks out of context. 

This way, you can find more problematic paragraphs and make the essay more effective and concise.

10- Add Text When You Edit Your Essay

Still trying to increase wordcount?

Once you have finished writing your essay, please review it and consider editing where needed. This way, you can add more content and increase the length. 

It’s another great opportunity to use AI writing tools and get suggestions to write more fluent sentences and write a long essay with the help of AI. 

Replace redundant words with strong vocabulary and replace repetitive words with alternatives. 

Try to spot long phrases and divide them into small terms and paragraphs. You can add as many words as needed but they must be relevant to the context.

Did the discussion mentioned above help increase your word count?

If yes then follow these strategies and increase word count without compromising the quality.

Copyscribe.ai: All-in-One Writing Assistant

Copyscribe is an AI assistant ideally designed to take your essay writing experience to the next level, with multiple impressive features such as Text extender and Article Outlines. 

So, you must take advantage of it to create a masterpiece while completing your academic tasks, assignments, and essays.

Copyscribe Writing Features

Copyscribe comes with 50+ templates designed for your different writing needs. Here are some remarkable templates of copyscribe you can use while writing your essay.

• Text Extender (It can extend short sentences into more descriptive and informative paragraphs).
• Content Shorten (to shorten your content into a different voice and style to make it appealing to the readers).
• The article outlines (to help you write better content consistently).
• Article rewriter
• Paragraph writer
• Passive to active voice
• Tone changer
• Rewrite with keywords
• Bullet point answers

So, use any of these features to increase the word count of your essay and make it interesting to read.

Frequently Asked Questions

To increase the essay’s wordcount, consider the following strategies:

• Expand on Points: Each point or argument in your essay can be expanded. Add more examples, quotes, or data to support your statements.
• Include Counterarguments: Present and refute them to add depth to your essay.
• Add Subsections: Introduce new subtopics or subsections relevant to the main topic.
• Review the Introduction and Conclusion: Often, these sections can be elaborated upon to provide more context or summarize more thoroughly.

Several AI-based tools are designed to assist with writing such as Copyscribe, EssayBot, Textcortex, and Wordtune. These can help you rephrase content, suggest additional points, and expand on existing ones to make your essay longer. However, use them responsibly to expand word count without sacrificing quality. 

Here are some tactics:

• Use Descriptive Language: Instead of saying “good,” you could say “exceptionally good,” or instead of “fast,” use “rapidly.” as natural language processing matters.
• Include Additional Evidence: Cite more research, include more case studies, or add more anecdotes.

Clarify Statements: If you’ve made broad statements, break them down into specific points.

If your assignment’s maximum word count is 1000+ words, you can extend it by following simple strategies:

• Add Quotations: Incorporate relevant quotations from experts as they can increase 10% length of the essay.
• Use Examples: Use concrete examples to illustrate abstract concepts.
• Expand Each Paragraph: Review each paragraph to see if your point can be further elaborated. Follow these strategies if you need to increase your shorter essay or reach your word count limit

Every student tries to reach the minimum word count of the assignment. Nevertheless, the word count for an extended essay will largely depend on the guidelines set by your educational institution or the specific course for which the essay is being written.  It mainly depends on the kind of essay you are writing. In many cases, extended essays are expected to be around 4000 words essay length for subjects like History or English, but it’s essential to adhere to any guidelines you’ve been given. If you’re unsure, consult with your instructor or advisor to look for practical options to reach the word count limit.

The minimum word count of essay depends on the type of essay you are writing. However, the length of 250 words is generally considered to be short for an academic essay. Such a word count would likely be appropriate for a high school essay assignment or perhaps as one part of a longer university paper, but it would be insufficient for a detailed analysis or research paper. Typically, academic essays at the college level are at least 500 words (usually a short essay), and they can be much longer depending on the topic and requirements.

Various AI platforms like Copyscribe, Wordtune, and Grammarly can assist with essays by expanding word count,  checking grammar, suggesting sentence structures, and even offering ideas to include. These tools with word counter can help you track the total words you have written.

Absolutely. AI tools can provide real-time feedback, offer synonyms for overused words, and correct grammatical errors. This lets you focus more on the content and less on writing mechanics. So, follow AI tools to increase word count in essay.

Get Started with 10,000 Free Words

Get started with Free Forever Plan and see how we make writing easy for you with our AI writing tool.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Password Reset

Connect with us

© 2023 CopyScribe AI LLC. All rights reserved.

Adding {{itemName}} to cart

Added {{itemName}} to cart

Sneaky Cheats to Reduce Word Count

by Dagmar Gross | Feb 26, 2020 | Writing Advice | 2 comments

 In an earlier blog , I described a number of strategies that I routinely apply to reduce the word count of manuscripts. However, even after applying all of these strategies, the paper may still be a bit too long – from just a few words to 100 or more words over the maximum word limit permitted by the journal. And we know that, in most cases, if the submitted manuscript is even one word over the maximum allowed length, it is summarily rejected by the journal without consideration. It isn’t even seen by the editor.

I’m all for formal writing being as clear and complete as possible, as well as grammatically correct. While I aim to be concise, sometimes more words are required to achieve clarity. I always prepare a manuscript using the most correct form of language to ensure that it is professional and polished, even if that means a few extra words here and there.

But what to do when the final draft is completed and ready for all authors to provide final approval for submission, and the word count is still over the journal’s limit? First, I critically review the manuscript twice more to ensure I’ve fully applied the previously discussed strategies and have truly made the language as concise as possible.

If the paper is still over the word limit, then I’ll employ some rather sneaky “cheat” tricks I’ve learned along the way. I generally try to avoid using them, but when I’m desperate, they work. Technically, they are formatting or grammatical errors, or poor or incorrect language. After the paper has been accepted for publication, the copy editor usually converts these errors back to a better (original) format when the galley proofs are being prepared. At this point, word count no longer matters to the journal – hence, I’m “cheating” to achieve the necessary word count for submission purposes.

Here are the sneaky tricks I use, in priority from most used (i.e., affect the content or interpretation the least) to least used (i.e., least palatable, as they are improper language and potentially interfere with reading flow, understanding, and context).

1) Selectively remove articles “the” or “a” The clinical outcome was affected in only 7.6% of the cases.  (11 words) Clinical outcome was affected in only 7.6% of cases.  (9 words)

2) Remove commas between spaces in citation numbers If the body of the paper lists citations as numbers, either in brackets or superscript, it is customary to leave a space between commas. But I’ve been known to delete the space after the comma to save on word count: … had no effect [2, 4, 9]  (6 words) … had no effect [2,4,9]  (4 words)

3) Eliminate spaces around “=” … in controls (n = 50).  (5 words) … in controls (n=50).  (3 words)

4) For ranges, replace “to” with a hyphen Three cases had moderate stiffness (ROM, 30° to 74°).  (9 words) Three cases had moderate stiffness (ROM, 30°-74°).  (7 words)

5) Remove “that” The study demonstrated that longer wait times were associated with …  (10 words) The study demonstrated longer wait times were associated with …  (9 words)

6) Replace “more than” or “less than” with “>” or “<” Patients with less than 15° of ROM were excluded.  (9 words) Patients with <15° of ROM were excluded.  (7 words) Patients with ROM<15° were excluded.  (5 words)

Patients were immobilized in a cast for at least 6 weeks.  (11 words) Patients were immobilized in a cast for ≥6 weeks.  (9 words)

7) Replace “compared with” with “than” or “versus” Open ankle arthrodesis had a longer operative time compared with arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis.  (13 words) Open ankle arthrodesis had a longer operative time than arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis. (12 words)

8) Condense the description of the mean Patients had similar rates of complications at a mean of 78 months of follow-up.  (14 words) Patients had similar rates of complications at mean 78 months follow-up.  (11 words)

9) Convert “patients with X” to “X patients” Patients treated with the implant were permitted …  (7 words) Implant patients were permitted …  (4 words)

Patients who underwent arthrodesis …  (4 words) Arthrodesis patients …  (2 words)

Patients with diabetes …  (3 words) Diabetic patients …  (2 words)

These sneaky tricks are pretty handy when you’re really stuck to find those last few “words” to eliminate. Hopefully you won’t need to use them too often. And if you do, you’re able to stick with using just the first few.

If you have any other tricks for reducing word count, I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

Did you find this blog helpful? I welcome your comments and feedback, and I look forward to receiving topic suggestions for future tips.

How to Increase Word Count

• September 16, 2024

Dr. Marvin L. Smith

One of the biggest challenges students face is writing long-form essays of 2,000 words or more.

I still remember the struggle I faced during my freshman year when I had to write a lengthy essay on an unfamiliar topic. It took me hours, even days, to get it done—and it was a painful process.

Fast forward to today, after writing hundreds of articles, essays, and reports, I’ve discovered some clever strategies to boost word count without sacrificing quality. 

In this article, I’ll share my top “super hacks” to help you increase word count and make writing long-form content a breeze. 

Whether you’re working on a research paper , essay , or report, these tips will help you get the job done efficiently.

How NOT to Increase Word Count

Before we dive into the strategies for boosting word count, let’s talk about what not to do. Many students and writers fall into the trap of using shortcuts that ultimately harm the quality of their writing. 

Here are some common mistakes to steer clear of:

Don’t Pad with Unnecessary Words and Phrases

We’ve all been guilty of using filler words like “just,” “really,” and “basically” to bulk up our writing. But these words don’t add any real value to your content. In fact, they can make your writing seem lazy and unengaging. Avoid using phrases like “in order to” or “it’s worth noting that” unless they’re absolutely necessary.

Inconsistent Voice and Tone

Switching between formal and informal tone or using different voices can confuse your readers and make your writing seem disjointed. Stick to a consistent tone and voice throughout your writing to keep your audience engaged.

Quoting Without Context or Purpose

Throwing in quotes without explaining their relevance or providing context can make your writing seem like a lazy cut-and-paste job. Use quotes sparingly and only when they add real value to your argument or point.

The Dangers of Mindless Paraphrasing and Rephrasing

Paraphrasing and rephrasing can be useful tools for expanding on ideas, but be careful not to overdo it. Simply rewording the same sentence or idea multiple times won’t add any real depth to your writing. Make sure you’re using these techniques to clarify or expand on your points, not just to fill space.

Other Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using overly complex language or jargon to sound impressive
• Including irrelevant or unnecessary examples
• Repeating the same points or ideas without adding new insights
• Using fluff words like “various,” “many,” or “some” without providing specifics

The Right Way to Increase Word Count

Now that we’ve covered what not to do, let’s dive into the strategies that will help you boost your word count without sacrificing quality. 

Here are 10 actionable tips to get you started:

1. Leverage AI Writing Tools for Expansion

Struggling to meet word count requirements? 

Look no further! 

You can use Blainy’s free Essay Expander tool to easily expand your essay and reach your desired word count. It uses AI to generate high-quality content that flows seamlessly with your existing writing.

But that’s not all—if you’re looking to expand a specific sentence or paragraph, you can use Blainy’s Free Sentence and Paragraph Expander tool to get the job done. This tool is designed to help you add depth and clarity to your writing, all with just a few clicks.

And the best part? 

Blainy has over 50 AI writing tools that are completely free to use! (no sign-up required).

With Blainy , you can easily expand your essays, assignments, research papers, and more. Whether you’re a student, writer, or researcher, Blainy’s AI writing tools are here to help you achieve your writing goals.

Ready to increase of your word count?

Sign up for Blainy today and start increasing your word count!

2. Create an Effective Outline to Organize and Expand Your Writing

A well-structured outline is the foundation of a solid piece of writing. It helps you organize your ideas, identify areas for expansion, and ensure a logical flow of information. 

But creating an outline from scratch can be a daunting task. 

That’s where Blainy’s free Essay Outline Generator comes in!

With Blainy’s Essay Outline Generator, you can create a detailed and effective outline in just a few seconds.

By using Blainy’s Essay Outline Generator, you’ll be able to:

• Organize your ideas and identify areas for expansion
• Create a clear and logical structure for your writing
• Ensure a smooth flow of information from start to finish
• Save time and effort in the writing process

3. Craft Compelling Introductions and Conclusions

Your introduction and conclusion are the bookends of your writing, and they play a crucial role in engaging your readers. A well-written introduction sets the stage, provides context, and draws the reader in, while a well-written conclusion summarizes your main points, reinforces your argument, and leaves a lasting impression. 

But crafting these sections can be a challenge.

That’s where Blainy comes in! 

With Blainy’s Introduction Writer , you can create a compelling and effective introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and sets the tone for the rest of your writing. It helps you craft a clear and concise introduction that includes:

• A hook to grab the reader’s attention
• Background information to provide context
• A thesis statement to guide the reader through your argument

And when it’s time to wrap up your writing, Blainy’s Conclusion Writer is here to help. This tool uses AI technology to help you craft a conclusion that summarizes your main points , reinforces your argument, and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. 

With Blainy’s Conclusion Writer, you can create a conclusion that includes:

• A summary of your main points
• A restatement of your thesis
• A final thought or call to action

4. Use Examples and Anecdotes to Illustrate Your Point

Examples and anecdotes are powerful tools for illustrating complex ideas and making your writing more relatable. Use them to add depth, context, and emotion to your writing, and you’ll find it easier to increase your word count while keeping your readers engaged.

5. Conduct Thorough Research to Add Depth and Detail

Research is the backbone of any well-written piece. It provides the evidence, data, and insights you need to support your arguments and make your writing more credible. But finding the right research articles and citing them correctly can be a time-consuming and tedious task.

That’s where Blainy helps!

With Blainy, you can easily find relevant research articles and academic papers to support your arguments. Blainy is integrated with a large database of research articles and journals, so you can easily find and cite them. 

Whether you’re working in APA, Harvard, IEEE, or MLA format, Blainy’s citation feature has got you covered. Simply select the citation style you need, and Blainy will generate the correct citation for you. This means you can focus on writing and researching, rather than worrying about formatting and citations.

By using Blainy to find research articles and cite them correctly, you can:

• Add depth and detail to your writing with credible sources
• Support your arguments with evidence and data
• Make your writing more authoritative and credible
• Save time and effort in the research and citation process

6. Ask ‘Why’ Questions to Delve Deeper into Your Topic

Asking ‘why’ questions is a simple yet effective way to delve deeper into your topic and uncover new insights. By exploring the underlying reasons and motivations behind a particular issue or phenomenon, you can add depth, complexity, and word count to your writing.

7. Address Counterarguments and Strengthen Your Argument

A well-written piece doesn’t just present one side of the argument—it also acknowledges and addresses potential counterarguments. By considering opposing viewpoints, you can strengthen your own argument, show that you’ve thoughtfully considered alternative perspectives, and make your writing more convincing.

But finding and addressing counter arguments can be a challenge. 

That’s where Blainy’s Opposing Argument feature comes in! 

With this tool, you can easily identify potential counterarguments and develop effective responses to them. 

Blainy analyzes your argument and suggests possible opposing viewpoints, so you can anticipate and address them in your writing.

By using Blainy’s Opposing Argument feature, you can:

• Identify potential counterarguments and develop effective responses
• Strengthen your argument by acknowledging and addressing opposing viewpoints
• Show that you’ve thoughtfully considered alternative perspectives
• Make your writing more convincing and persuasive

8. Use Quotes and References to Add Credibility and Context

Quotes and references can add credibility, context, and word count to your writing. Use them to support your arguments, provide evidence, and illustrate complex ideas. Just be sure to use them sparingly and only when they add real value to your writing.

9. Get Feedback from Others to Identify Areas for Expansion

Getting feedback from others is an excellent way to identify areas for expansion and improve the overall quality of your writing. Ask peers, mentors, or editors to review your work and provide feedback, and you’ll find it easier to increase your word count while making your writing more engaging.

10. Refine and Expand Your Writing Through Editing

Finally, editing is a crucial step in the writing process that can help you refine and expand your writing. Take the time to review your work, make revisions, and expand on your ideas, and you’ll find it easier to increase your word count while making your writing more polished and engaging.

Wrapping it up

Increasing word count doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By using the strategies outlined in this article, you can add depth, detail, and credibility to your writing without sacrificing clarity or concision. Whether you’re a student, a blogger, or a professional writer, these tips can help you take your writing to the next level.

With the help of Blainy’s powerful tools, you can:

• Craft compelling introductions and conclusions that engage your readers
• Conduct thorough research and cite your sources with ease
• Address counterarguments and strengthen your writing
• And much more!

By incorporating these strategies into your writing routine, you’ll be well on your way to producing high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience. 

So why wait? 

Start writing with confidence and clarity today!

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for a free Blainy account to access all of the tools and features mentioned in this article. With Blainy, you’ll have everything you need to take your writing to the next level.

Ready to increase word count?

Sign up for Blainy today and start increasing word count today!

About the Author:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Related Posts

How to Write an Analytical Essay in 9 Easy Steps

Best ChatGPT Alternative for Academic Writing in 2024

How to Write a Term Paper: Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

Paraphrasing vs Summarizing: What’s the Difference?

Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: Tips and Examples

How to Write an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

Unlock effortless writing excellence with the world's #1 AI-powered essay and research paper writer. Experience instant research paper perfection and elevate your writing to the next level.

Discover more.

50+ Free AI Tools

Terms & Condition

Privacy Policy

✉ [email protected]

✆ +971 50 760 0820

📍190 Hackett Inlet, Eastern Region, Dubai, UAE.

Copyright © 2024 Blainy

Essay Writing Guide

How To Make An Essay Longer

Last updated on: Jun 28, 2024

How To Make An Essay Longer - Easy Guide For Beginners

By: Nova A.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Apr 2, 2019

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to meet a word count for your essay but fall short of content?

It can be frustrating and stressful to figure out how to make your essay longer without compromising its quality and coherence.

In this blog, we will provide you with practical strategies and valuable tips to effectively expand your essay while maintaining its integrity.

Say goodbye to the struggle and embrace a well-crafted, lengthier essay.

Let's dive in!  

On this Page

Tips on How to Make an Essay Longer 

Essay Writing can be challenging, especially when you need to meet a specific word count or want to delve deeper into your analysis.

There are strategies you can use to effectively increase the length of your essay or research paper without compromising its quality. 

Let’s explore how to make your essay longer hacks and tips while maintaining its effectiveness.

Do a Comprehensive Research

Conducting in-depth research is crucial when aiming to make your essay longer and more comprehensive.

By going beyond surface-level knowledge, you gain access to a wealth of information and insights.

This additional research allows you to develop a deeper understanding of your topic, which in turn enhances the quality of your essay.

When conducting research, keep in mind to rely on credible sources. Credible sources include academic journals, reputable books, scholarly databases, and trusted websites. 

Elaborate on Arguments 

To expand and strengthen your essay, it is vital to provide detailed explanations and expand on your arguments.  Follow these key steps:

• Offer clear explanations of your main points, using descriptive language to enhance understanding.
• Support your arguments with relevant evidence, such as data, statistics, or expert opinions.
• Provide examples and illustrations that exemplify your points and make them more relatable.
• Engage in critical analysis and interpretation to showcase a deeper understanding of the topic.
• Address counterarguments by acknowledging opposing viewpoints and providing reasoned responses.
• Continuously connect your elaborations back to the thesis statement for a focused and cohesive essay.

Add Examples

Start by researching your topic. Make sure you get important details, substantial arguments, and evidence to highlight your points of view better.

When you start writing, look for the claims you’ve made in your essay and analyze the supporting and opposing views.

Make sure you add relevant supporting evidence for each view that makes your essay more engaging and lengthen your paper effectively.

Usually, it’s good to use case studies and real-life scenarios or statistical information to make your arguments stronger.

Whenever you use any mathematical figures try to spell out numbers. Make sure that whatever it is, they support your arguments strongly.

Use Quotations and Citations 

Using quotations from experts and credible sources serves multiple purposes in your essay. 

Quotations play a significant role in enhancing the understanding and depth of your essay. 

They demonstrate that your ideas are supported by established thinkers or recognized sources in the field.

Proper citation is essential when using quotations in your essay. It not only gives credit to the original author but also demonstrates your academic integrity. 

Ensure that you adhere to the required citation style , whether it's APA, MLA, Chicago, or any other specified format. 

Take the time to understand the rules and guidelines for citing quotations accurately.

Include Transitional Phrases and Sentences

Thinkin how to make your essay longer using words while maintaining a smooth flow and coherence?

It is essential to include transitional phrases and sentences in your essay. 

Transitional sentences not only help to make your essay longer but more cohesive as well. Transition sentences are used to connect the ideas being discussed in different paragraphs of the essay. So the right choice of transitional sentences will make your essay a great piece of writing.

Here are some key considerations for using transitional phrases effectively:

Introducing Additional Points:

• Furthermore,
• Additionally,
• In addition to,

Providing Examples or Illustrations:

• For instance,
• For example,
• Specifically,
• To illustrate this,
• In particular,

Need more examples of transitional words to make an essay longer? Check out this transition words blog!

Do Not Use Short Forms

Avoid using short forms and contractions. In a formal essay, do not use ‘wouldn't’, ‘can’t’ or ‘don’ts’, use their full form. The same goes for numbers also, use spellings instead of number form.

If you are not sure about the word count then use a word counter to be sure that you have added the required number of words. Increasing the font size will also help to lengthen your essay.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Be More Descriptive

To make your essay longer while keeping the flow smooth and engaging the reader, it is essential to focus on being more descriptive in your writing.

By incorporating vivid descriptions, sensory details, and figurative language, you can expand the length of your essay while enhancing its depth and richness.

Descriptive language allows you to provide more intricate explanations, paint a more detailed picture of your subject matter, and create a more immersive reading experience.

By employing techniques such as engaging the senses, providing concrete examples, and painting a vivid picture with words, you can reach the required word count.

Add All Necessary Information

During your revision part, ensure that you’ve included all relevant information for the essay and there’s no missing concept or theory.

At times students find sections that can be improved with new arguments or there is a missing piece of evidence.

Look for such loopholes in the content and fix them.

Add details that are relevant, credible, and valuable for your audience as well. Once you’re done with the checking, re-read the essay to ensure complete conformity to quality standards and essay guidelines.

Format Your Paragraphs Well

While writing your essay make sure that paragraphs of your essay are formatted well.

Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence , following the supporting argument, and a concluding or transition sentence.

Keep revising your paragraphs and add the sentences that are missing.

Take a Fresh Look at Your Topic

This may seem a useless tactic but revisiting your prompt in the middle of your writing process will help you a lot to explore the hidden perspectives of the topic.

You may realize that you have not considered a number of dimensions of the topic nor explained them.

This allows you to gain new perspectives, refine your arguments, and ensure that your essay remains relevant and compelling. 

Their explanation will not only help you elongate your essay but also make it more comprehensive.

Add Illustrations

To further add to your essay content, look for illustrative material that can be included to justify your claims better.

These are usually supporting pieces of information like images, charts, statistical reports, and graphs that largely add to the essay's appeal and length as well.

Your sources must be authentic and reliable. Do not forget to include them in your resource list to increase the size and essay length.

Add Lists and Numbers

Another good tip that adds to the page count for your paper is the addition of bullets and lists to organize your ideas properly.

Besides, they also make the paper longer and more readable, and engaging for the audience. Within sections and paragraphs, add lists to further explain a core concept or idea better.

You can also increase the line spacing between texts to make your essay look longer.

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Try Reverse Outlining

After writing your paper, reading back through it and creating an outline will help you reorganize pages. It will make more sense to the readers about your work. It can also point out areas that you need to develop more.

If you see a point and think that you can clarify it more, take the opportunity and make it longer.

If you notice a paragraph that introduces more than one idea, break them into multiple paragraphs and explain them thoroughly.

Take a Break and Revisit Your Essay

To increase the length and improve the quality of your essay, it is essential to take breaks and revisit your work with a fresh perspective.

Stepping away from your writing allows you to clear your mind and return with renewed focus.

When you review your essay with fresh eyes, you can identify areas that need further development, clarification, or expansion.

Take the time to revise and edit your essay, addressing grammar, punctuation, and clarity. 

Approach your Instructor and Ask for Possible Help

Many teachers and instructors are willing to give reviews about the paper before submission. It means you can always consider approaching your instructor for guidance. 

Schedule a meeting and come prepared with specific questions about expanding your essay effectively. 

Explain your concerns about the length and express your willingness to put in the effort to improve. 

Be attentive to the advice given by your instructor and make a keen effort to implement their feedback in your revised essay. 

Make Your Spacing Larger 

One sneaky way to increase the length of your essay is by adjusting the spacing. 

Increase the line spacing between your lines of text by using 1.5 or double spacing instead of the default 1.0 spacing. 

Another option is to use a slightly larger font size, although it's important not to go overboard. For example, you are using times new roman size 12, make it to 12.5!

Incorporating subheadings within your essay can help break up sections and add length. Additionally, take the opportunity to provide more detailed explanations and elaborate on your examples. 

Remember to use these formatting tips responsibly and focus on providing meaningful content to enhance the overall quality of your essay.

Get Professional Writing Help

If you find yourself still struggling to increase the length and improve the quality of your essay, seeking professional writing help can be a valuable option.

These online writing services offer assistance from experienced writers who can help you with essay-lengthening techniques. They also offer suggestions for improvement and provide editing and proofreading services.

Just like that, 5StarEssays.com is one of the best “ write my essay ” services!

Our qualified writing experts can compose an impressive essay that meets the word count without giving the impression of dragging it.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your writing skills and achieve your academic goals.

Marketing, Law

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

Was This Blog Helpful?

Keep reading.

• How to Write an Essay - A Complete Guide with Examples

• The Art of Effective Writing: Thesis Statements Examples and Tips

• Writing a 500 Word Essay - Easy Guide

• What is a Topic Sentence - An Easy Guide with Writing Steps & Examples

• A Complete Essay Outline - Guidelines and Format

• 220 Best Transition Words for Essays

• Essay Format: Detailed Writing Tips & Examples

• How to Write a Conclusion - Examples & Tips

• Essay Topics: 100+ Best Essay Topics for your Guidance

• How to Title an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide for Effective Titles

• How to Write a Perfect 1000 Word Essay

• Learn How to Start an Essay Effectively with Easy Guidelines

• Types of Sentences With Examples

• Hook Examples: How to Start Your Essay Effectively

• Essay Writing Tips - Essential Do’s and Don’ts to Craft Better Essays

• How To Write A Thesis Statement - A Step by Step Guide

• Art Topics - 200+ Brilliant Ideas to Begin With

• Writing Conventions and Tips for College Students

People Also Read

• synthesis essay outline
• citation styles
• qualitative research method
• quantitative research
• argumentative essay examples

Burdened With Assignments?

Advertisement

• Homework Services: Essay Topics Generator

© 2024 - All rights reserved

• Word Counter
• Character Counter
• Scrabble Word Finder
• Pomodoro Timer

How to Increase Word Count in Essay

One of the worst feelings you can have as a student is when you finish writing an essay, only to realize that you are well below the minimum word count. You may attempt to tackle this issue by rewriting the essay sentences or adding filler words to increase the word count. While the strategies may help you reach the word limit, they weaken your essay instead of enriching it.

Most students don’t know the best way to increase the word count in an essay while making every word count (pardon the pun). Luckily for you, we have outlined 7 smart hacks that you can use to increase word count and also highlighted some mistakes to avoid. Read on to see the tools and techniques for expanding an essay!

Image from Adobe Stock

Life Hacks to Increase Your Word Count in an Essay Without Sacrificing the Quality of Your Work

Identify additional sources.

The more research you do, the more fodder you get for your essay. Extra sources are easy ways of making your essay arguments stronger. You can use more than one source to substantiate your argument as long as it adds a new idea or perspective. So, find new journals, online articles, research studies, and books that will give you quality content to add to your essay.

Add examples

Including examples in an essay helps you write more clearly and put forth a strong point. Apart from that, examples increase word count. You can add examples to reinstate an argument, explain information that is not common, draw differences, or even highlight a concept. They also demonstrate a thorough understanding of the topic. Still, ensure the examples are relatable, authentic, and relevant to the topic. Don’t overwhelm your essay with too many examples.

Add supporting quotations

If you haven’t already added quotations in your essay, you can add a few from experts in the field to support your points. You can also increase the length of existing quotes by adding sentences before or after them. As add-ons to your essay, quotations offer facts that back up your main idea while increasing your word count in an essay. However, quotations should not exceed 10% of the overall length of the essay.

Use diagrams and tables

Why have a text-heavy essay when you can add illustrations to make it meatier and longer? While footnotes and bibliographies don’t add to the word count, tables and diagrams add to the count when they appear in the main body of the essay. So use relevant items to demonstrate important points and add extra information to your paper. For example, in an essay topic that involves the use of statistics, you can include a statistical table with information that would interest the reader.

Address different viewpoints

You can use this strategy to increase your word count while improving the quality of your arguments. Presenting alternative views to the one already discussed in your essay gives you a chance to explain why you believe your conclusion is superior. Addressing different viewpoints also shows that you have considered a range of different opinions while coming to your conclusion. In the end, opposing views make your paper longer and stronger.

Expand your introduction and conclusion paragraphs

Let’s say you have done most of the things suggested above, but you’re still short of a few hundred words. You can decide to expand your introduction and conclusion. The two paragraphs are typically less critical, so you can get away with padding them out a little. The hacks you can use to expand your introduction include adding anecdotes, personal experiences, and details about your motivation for exploring the topic. In the conclusion, you can add sentences that remind the reader why the essay’s argument matters.

Ask an expert for help

Sometimes, it’s difficult to objectively identify gaps in our own essays. In such cases, getting editing help from essay writing services can help you expand your word count without compromising the quality of your paper. The online writing services work with expert writers with years of experience in academic writing. A professional will identify what’s unclear, areas that need more explanation, relevant sources to add, or write your paper from scratch. CustomWritings is an all-in-one essay writing service with 18+ years of experience in the market. They deal with 80+ disciplines at all academic levels and find the best-matching writer for every student.

How Not to Increase Word Count in an Essay

Using filler and fluff words.

Adding meaningless words to fill more pages only distracts from your main point and confuses the reader. Fillers are long and complex sentences that add the word count without adding any particular value. Fluff words are unnecessary details, such as your personal opinion and flowery text. Such an essay will bore the reader. Instead, write short and clear sentences.

Playing with fonts and spacing

You may think that increasing the font size from 12 to 14 or spacing makes it longer but don’t try it. The strategy will not get you anywhere. Also, you will not get away with using the period trick, in which you replace all periods with one of a larger font size. The professor will notice, and it will not end well for you.

Quoting without context

This is another serious academic mistake. Quoting so many references out of context to increase the length of your paper is like digging yourself a hole. Too many inappropriate quotes discredit your essay since they minimize your original arguments and divert from the main idea of the essay. After spending a lot of time researching and adding irrelevant quotations, you’ll end up with lots of distracting content.

Voice and tone

Passive voice makes sentences longer, but active voice makes an essay sharper and easy to understand. Don’t change your essay to include passive voice as a way of increasing the word count because it sacrifices the quality of your writing. Also, maintain a formal tone by avoiding informal language in pursuit of longer sentences.

Mindless paraphrasing

This is another bad strategy for increasing the word count in an essay. It involves repeating the same content in different paragraphs as if the professor will not notice. Spewing similar content in different words will not help you ace your course.

Spelling out numbers

This is another age-old trick that some students still use to make an essay longer. For example, instead of writing 5,100, you spell out five thousand one hundred in words. This is not a good idea either. The golden rule says that you can spell out numbers from 1 to 10, but more significant numbers should be in numerals.

An even worse hack for expanding the word count of your essay is to plagiarize from other people’s essays or research works. It doesn’t matter if the essay topic is the same. It’s a lazy and quick way to fail a grade. So, avoid copy-pasting other people’s ideas. If you have to add a quotation, ensure you cite it correctly. Learn how to paraphrase a paragraph without plagiarizing .

Keep It Long and Relevant!

You shouldn’t add just any words to an essay to meet the required word count. A skillful writer finds interesting and correct ways of balancing essay length and essay quality. The dos and don’ts mentioned in this article will set you on your way to crafting a high-quality essay that reaches the word limit.

Previous Post

October 05, 2019

September 16, 2019

September 11, 2019

September 10, 2019