how can i make a paper longer

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game New
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• College University and Postgraduate
• Academic Writing

How to Make an Essay Appear Longer Than It Is

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,765,982 times.

You are writing a paper and the deadline is approaching, but you are nowhere near the page limit. Many students find themselves in this position. Luckily for you, you can lengthen your paper by using a few tricks. Increasing the font size, adding a lengthy header, and manipulating the spacing between lines are just a few strategies you can use to make your essay appear longer. However, be aware that breaking your teacher’s guidelines may result in a lower grade.

Playing with the Font

• Don’t pick a very large font like Arial Black or Lucida Handwriting. Your teacher will notice that you are trying to make your essay longer by choosing a larger font.

Manipulating Spacing and Margins

• If the increase is too noticeable, then try 1.15 or 1.1 instead.
• Because all documents are left justified, avoid increasing the left margin. Adjusting the left margin will produce a noticeable change that your teacher will detect.

Adjusting the Header and Footer

Expanding the Content

• Additionally, if you are quoting or paraphrasing research or literature, make sure to cite it properly. Citations can add extra length to a paper as well.

• Expand your introductory paragraph with an attention-getting statement to hook the reader in.

• However, try to avoid being descriptive when it is unnecessary since this may cause your paper to appear embellished or sound verbose.

Community Q&A

• Copy and paste your paper into a new document. Make these changes to the new document. Then compare and contrast the document with the changes to the original document. Remove any adjustments that seem obvious. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Use a thesaurus to find longer synonyms to use in place of shorter ones. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Spell out abbreviations; for example, write out “United States" instead of using "US." Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Be aware that breaking your teacher’s guidelines may be considered cheating, which may result in a lower grade or even a zero. Thanks Helpful 11 Not Helpful 1
• Don't be redundant. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.paperhelp.org/blog/how-to-make-a-paper-longer.html
• ↑ https://www.jakebinstein.com/blog/how-to-make-an-essay-look-longer/
• ↑ https://studentshare.org/study-guides/how-to-make-your-essay-look-longer
• ↑ http://www.seventeen.com/life/school/advice/a27491/tricks-you-try-to-make-your-school-paper-longer/
• ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-paper-longer-793288

About This Article

To make an essay appear longer than it is, pick a font that's slightly larger than Times New Roman, like Arial, Courier New, or Cambria. If you're required to use 12-point font, try increase the font to 12.1 or 12.2 to gain some extra length without the font looking noticeably larger. Then, press on Control and the F key at the same time to activate the find and replace function, and replace all of the commas and periods with 14-point font. If the essay still isn't long enough, increase the line spacing by 0.1 or 0.2 and make the right margin 0.1-0.2 inches larger. For tips on adjusting the header and footer or adding more content to your essay, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Grace Baker

Nov 19, 2018

Did this article help you?

Dec 7, 2017

Lucan Wrigley

May 22, 2017

Susan Smith

Aug 10, 2016

May 27, 2017

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Get all the best how-tos!

Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter

21 Helpful and Easy Tips to Make an Essay Longer

Bookman Old Style > Times New Roman.

When you're writing a school paper after researching and typing for what feels like ages, but you still haven't reached your teacher's required page count, it's normal to feel frustrated. Maybe you get a little creative and play Microsoft Word gymnastics with different fonts and spacing, or become super expressive with your descriptions. There's also a chance you missed something on the assignment rubric, or overlooked the opportunity to include more quotes from trusted sources. You might even be able to load up on a few more examples for your argument, easily boosting the word count with additional research. Still a couple pages behind the limit? Don't worry. Below, we have over 20 tips to help you hit that page requirement.

1. Make sure you included everything on the rubric. If you forgot a whole section focusing on the counter argument, that could be the reason why your paper is a couple pages shorter than needed.

2. Load up on transitional phrases. Your paper isn't long enough, therefore it may be necessary to add some transitional phrases because they take up space. On the other hand , this could make your paper really wordy, however , it may be necessary. See what I did there?

3. Spell out your numbers. There are four editorial styles — AP, APA, MLA, and Chicago. Each one has a different rule for spelling out numbers, which can work out in your favor. For instance, in APA, you write out all numbers under 10. So a one-character "7" becomes a five-character "seven." In MLA, you spell out all numbers at the beginning of a sentence, and all simple numbers (those that are one or two words). Make sure to check the assignment rubric to see what style your paper should be written in!

4. Ditch the contractions. Honestly, you probably should not even be using contractions in a formal essay, so if you are filling up your paper with "don't," "won't," and "can't," switch them out for "do not," "will not," and "cannot."

5. Use numerous examples. Make sure to do extensive research on your essay topic and come up with at least 2-3 examples for every argument presented. One example might seem like enough, but adding a couple more points improves your paper and boosts its word count.

6. Add quotes. Including quotes, whether they be from a book, news article, or trusted source, helps strengthen and validate the point you're making in a paper. But you can't just drop a quotation without context. Introducing, writing out, and properly unpacking a quote can add value — and length — to your essay.

7. Start getting really descriptive about everything. How illustrative can you get about the evolution of electricity, you ask? Well, the answer is: Very. The howling wind gushed passed Benjamin Franklin at 30 miles per hour on that cold, rainy night, pulling the string of his kite taught as it fought to stay in the sky and sent his grey hair flying up in the sky like silvery wisps.

8. Try to make your header longer. If possible, of course. Some teachers clearly state what information needs to be included in the header. But if there's no guideline, add what you can within reason — I'm not sure your teacher is going to appreciate your TikTok or Insta handle listed on the page.

9. Have someone proofread. Getting another pair of eyes to read your paper might reveal some areas in need of work. Maybe you need to elaborate a bit more on a certain argument, or include a quote to strengthen an example.

10. Revisit your introduction paragraph. Sometimes, an introduction is easiest to write after the paper has been written. Having already presented and thoroughly discussed the argument in the essay's body paragraphs, you have a more concrete understanding of what direction the paper takes. There might be some information or ideas you can add into the intro, to better set up the paper's points.

11. Make your spacing larger. Your teacher probably won't be able to tell the difference between double spacing and 2.5 spacing. *fingers crossed*

12 . While you're at it, expand the spacing between the characters. Yes, I'm talking between each and every letter.

13. Raise the font size from 12pt to 12.5pt. Nobody has to know!

14. Make all periods and commas 14pt. It sounds tedious, but simply command-f and search for the period, that way you can change all of them at once.

15. Put extra space around your (super long and bolded) title. It needs some space to shine and breathe, obvs.

16. Change the font. You can't get too crazy or else your teacher will call you out, so you stick with something super similar to Times New Roman, but slightly bigger, like Bookman Old Style. However some teachers specify a certain font in the paper's assignment requirements — in the case, don't try to switch things up.

17. Reverse outline. After you've finished penning your essay, read it through and write an outline on what you have written so far. This strategy can reveal some paragraphs in need of further development. If you notice one super long paragraph, try breaking the ideas down into separate paragraphs. This might bump the page count up a bit, and give you the opportunity to include a few more transition sentences.

18. Make your margins bigger. You have to be careful about the left and right margins, and the top can be tricky. But the bottom margin, you can practically make it as big as you want. And then you can...

19. Add a fancy footer with page numbers. Obviously (hopefully), your teacher will appreciate your attention to detail and presentation.

20. Add a header with the title of your paper to every single page. Just in case your teacher forgets what your paper is about. You only want to help.

21. Make a separate cover page. Technically, the rubric didn't say it couldn't count as page one.

When I'm not holed up in my room going on a completely unproductive Netflix binge or Tumblr stalking Timothée Chalomet, I'm searching for awesome celeb news stories that Seventeen readers will love!

Leah Campano is an Associate Editor at Seventeen, where she covers pop culture, entertainment news, health, and politics. On the weekends, you can probably find her watching marathons of vintage Real Housewives episodes or searching for New York City’s best almond croissants. 

School & Campus Life

61 Gifts That’ll Make College 100x Better

16 “Hocus Pocus” Costumes That Are Scarily Good

TikTok's Beloved Stanley Cup is Back in Stock

AirPods Pro Are The Lowest Price Ever on Prime Day

Back-to-School Captions to Help You Win Day One

These Items Make Your Freshman Year SO Much Better

You Need These TikTok-Famous Amazon Travel Hacks

The Best Dorm Bedding for Your Cozy College Life

15 Cool Dorm Room Decor Ideas

35 Memes That Describe the Back to School Struggle

8 of the Best Dorm Mini Fridges

Back to all blog posts

How To Make A Paper Seem Longer Without Writing More

We have all been there. You need to submit ten pages tomorrow, you have barely covered six, it’s already way past midnight and you are completely out of ideas. Your eyes are red, your eyelids are heavy, the blinking cursor seems to mock you…

If only you could make your paper look a bit longer without actually working on the word count! Well, there are some tricks to do it.

However, if you absolutely loathe the topic, why won’t you just get someone else to write your paper for you? Think about it, hiring a cheap paper writing service to write your essays will cost less than prescription drugs you will need after getting your nerves wracked and sending your circadian rhythms all over the place over something you don’t even like! It’s so much simpler! Just hit that big friendly button and all your problems will become our problems!

Now, if you are bent on coping with it yourself, just this time, here are the quick fixes that make text appear longer.

How To Make A Paper Look Longer

Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of word processors has some ideas of how to stretch a text over more pages. Make margins bigger! Make the font bigger! Easy peasy! However, what we need to know is how to make a paper longer without a teacher noticing. The answer to that is subtlety. With the help of many minor tweaks, you can achieve a pretty impressive accumulated result, but you must be very discreet.

1. A trick with periods and commas

Probably the least noticeable thing you can do is to enlarge all the periods and commas in your paper. For example, if you have 12 pt. font overall, making only periods and commas 14 pt. and italicizing them will add several lines of lengths to your text. No kidding. To do that, go to “Find and Replace” in the menu, put your usual “.” in the “Find” field. Click on “More” under the “Replace with” field, and click “Format”. There, find “Font” settings. It the menu that will pop up you should select the font size that is one or two points bigger than the rest of your text and don’t forget to make it italic as well.

It’s probably the best to make it after you’ve completed all other manipulations with the main text, so you don’t scrap all this finicky work with one click while adjusting the font.

2. Adjusting spacing between the lines

This is where you will have to be very careful not to overdo it because it’s very visible. Adjusting the spacing should be as subtle as possible. For example, if your teacher specified a single-spaced paper, then you can probably get away with 1.1 or 1.2 spacing instead. Go to “Format” –> “Paragraph” –> “Line Spacing” –> “Multiple” and adjust the “By” factor to 1.2.

3. Adjusting spacing between characters

This trick is less known, although it can get you additionally one page without hassle. Character spacing adjustments are less visible than line spacing, but you should also be very discreet to succeed. To do that, go to “Font” –> “Advanced” –> “Spacing” –> “Expended”. Put the value into the “By” box. Don’t get greedy and keep the factor between 1.2 and 1.5 – whichever yields the best result without getting too noticeable.

4. Different font

As a rule, instructors ask students to submit their papers in Times New Roman. However, there are fonts that look very similar but are a little larger. For example, Bookman Old Style. If your instructor hasn’t given you any directions on that account, you can pull off setting any of the larger fonts like Arial, Armen CT, Bangla Sangam MN, Cambria, Courier New, Quicksand, etc. However, don’t be too on-the-nose with this. Fonts like Arial Black or Arial Rounded MT Bold are probably too much to go unnoticed by your teacher.

5. Larger font size

This is where you have to be really sneaky. Don’t increase your font more than +0.1 – 0.5 pt., otherwise, it will be super obvious. For example, if your teacher specified 12 pt. font size, you can increase it to 12.5 pt. max. without being too noticeable.

6. Increased margins

The rule of thumb here is increasing margins by a quarter, no more. For example, if the margins are required to be 1 inch, you can make them 1.25 instead. This should not be very visible. However, we recommend limiting yourself to adjusting only the right and the bottom margins, since they are usually less visible.

To do that, go to “Format” –> “Document” –> “Right” (and “Bottom”) and type in 1.25 (or less) in the corresponding box.

7. A footer with page numbers

To veil the tweaking of the bottom margin and stretch it even further, add a footer with numbers. It will give off the detail-oriented vibe and will look like you have really thought through the presentation of your paper. Good on you!

To do that, go to “Insert” –> “Page Numbers” –> “Position” –> “Bottom of Page”.

8. Running head with the title of your paper

This little trick is neat because running head adds length to your paper and is strictly within the APA requirements – yes, really. Another bonus is that according to APA standards your title must be in all-caps.

To add a running head, click on the top of your page to edit the header area and select “Different First Page”. Type “Running head: YOUR TITLE”. Now go to page 2 and add YOUR TITLE without the words “Running head”. Brilliant! Now you can close the header area.

9. Beefed-up header

Make the most of it. Add your name, the date, your course name, the name of your instructor, your email, or student ID number. Then double-space it, to make it longer. Don’t worry. It’s a header, it’s separate from the text, you can do it here.

You can also add a line or two with your other credentials, for example, a Twitter handle, but only if they are relevant (for example, you’ve been doing research on the internet slang and you’ve gathered information on Twitter).

10. Adjusted title

First of all, make your title separate from the header, place it on the line below. Put a little extra space around it, increase its font size, and bold it. Everything for the sake of making it more visible, naturally!

Done! That’s the maximum you can do without working with the content of your paper. However, here are some very quick tweaks that hardly take any time to do:

First of all, this will boost the length and word count. Second, you should not have done it in a college paper anyway. Finally, the academic style is on your side! Use “Find” to track all the apostrophes in your text and replace contractions with full forms by hand.

To do it quickly, run all the numbers through “Find and Replace”, only don’t select “Replace All”. Watch every case carefully: you don’t want to replace “1” in “1984” with “one” etc.

Names are, as a rule, longer than “he” or “she”. Know what I mean? Hunt your pronouns using “Find” and replace them with appropriate names by hand.

Now your paper looks considerably longer. However, if you will submit it as a Google Doc or a Word Doc, your adjustments will be very easy to spot. I mean, you don’t have to be Einstein, to spot that the box at the top of the page doesn’t say “Times New Roman 12”. Therefore, we recommend you doing your paper properly next time.

Better still, outsource the papers that are low on your priorities list to us! This way, you won’t have to use any tricks to convince your teachers – come the hand-in day, you will submit a perfectly written paper with all-around great content and formatting! And you will have your good night’s sleep. Quite a bargain, huh?

Elissa Smart

Elissa Smart is an omnipotent demiurge behind PaperHelp's blog. Driven by seething creativity, not only she helps students with particular research and writing requests, but also finds the energy to share her extensive expertise via blog posts. A Barclay College graduate, Elissa puts her BA in Psychology & Family Studies and MA in Transformational Leadership degrees to good use, being of benefit to readers who are willing to learn from accomplished experts. She can also talk about boating on the Lake Superior by the hour, roots for Atlanta Falcons, and loves to sing in thick woods.

Related Posts

How to Make Your Essay Longer: Hacks and Tips

How to Write an Outline for an Essay

How To Write An Analysis Essay

Our Services:

When you use PaperHelp, you save one valuable — TIME

You can spend it for more important things than paper writing.

Ways to Make a Paper Longer

Add supporting evidence, ensure that you've included everything, use transitional phrases, take another look at your outline, review your introduction and conclusion, read your essay aloud, spell out numbers or contractions, breakup paragraphs, try some essay services.

Copyright © 1995 - 2023 EuroEducation Net Terms of Use | Disclaimer | Privacy & Cookies

• UK Office: +44 2081 447946
• US Office: +1 (253) 235 4136

Custom Writing

Essay writers for hire, essay writing help online, write my essay, other essay services, how to place an order:.

• Select your academic level and the number of pages and pick a desired deadline
• Then press “Order Now”
• Add your instructions
• Choose writer’s category
• Make a payment
• Get your paper before the deadline

Assignment services

Online assignment writing service, assignment help, coursework paper writing, assignment writing services, buy assignment online, coursework writing service, research paper services, research proposal writing service, term papers writing services, research paper help, pay for research papers, academic research paper service, research papers writing services, buy a research paper, college papers for sale, annotated bibliography help, thesis services, thesis report writing services, thesis editing services, thesis writing services, phd services, phd writing services, phd proposal writing service, buy phd thesis, phd research and literature review, phd thesis editing, dissertation services, dissertation writing services, buy dissertation online, custom dissertation writing help service, dissertation proposal services, write my dissertation, dissertation editing services, dissertation literature review writing, dissertation consultation services, dissertation survey help, mba dissertation writing services, mba essay writing, mba dissertation editing, mba assignment help, mba thesis writing help, mba personal statement writing, law services, law dissertation writing services, law coursework writing services, bvc/bptc writing service – bvc/bptc opinion & drafting writing, law essay writing services, law assignment writing services, law report writing service, all subjects, university application help, college admission writing service, cover letter writing, college application help service, personal statement writing help service, resume writing help, bursary and scholarships application help, ucas application help, buy essay papers canada, buy essay papers uae, buy essay papers saudi arabia, buy essay papers new zealand, buy essay papers usa, buy essay papers uk, buy essay papers qatar, buy essay papers australia, buy essay papers ireland.

• Sample Essays
• Our Guarantee

Free Writing Tools

• AI Essay Writer

It’s so easy to contact us

Just send us an email, give us a phone call or you can visit our professional and friendly UK team for an excellent level of service delivery. An easier way is just to drop us a message on our Live ChatBox on the bottom right of the page 

• +44 20 8144 7946
• +1 (253) 235 4136
• 24/7 Live Support

How to place an order

If you have any questions and want to find more about our services, kindly check our information 

5 Sneaky Ways to Make Your Paper Longer

• peachyessay
• September 21, 2021
• Blogs , General

You’re working on a paper, and the deadline is near, but you’re still far short of the page restriction. This is a situation that many students find themselves in. Fortunately, there are a few techniques you may use to extend your paper. Increasing the font size, including an extended header, and adjusting the space between lines are just a few ways to make your essay seem longer. However, keep in mind that disobeying your teacher’s rules may result in a worse grade.

Someone with my background, on the other hand, can identify those tricks with little or no effort.

Here are a few strategies for making your college paper lengthier. You may use a single one or a combination of many.

How can I lengthen my essay?

You may lengthen your essay by include citations, utilising appropriate quotes with transitional phrases, being more descriptive, or paying a professional to do so for you.

These methods for making your paper longer will work, and your professor will never know you employed any tricks to lengthen your essay.

Cite your work

By using citations in your work, you may extend its length. Make careful to include quotes to boost the word count.

Remember that for citations to be adequate; they must be formatted correctly and based on reliable sources.

Utilise of experts quotes

Make appropriate use of quotes if you’re searching for terms to lengthen your work.

This is a legitimate method to increase your word count without creating the impression that you aren’t trying to lengthen your research paper . Remember not to include too many quotes in your paper.

To ensure that the paper flows and merges smoothly with the quotes, including your own words. Also, double-check your formatting and citations.

Use transitional words

Transitional words may extend the length of your college paper . A document with too many transitional words, on the other hand, may seem to be too wordy.

So it’s up to you to be clever about it and proofread your work well before submitting it. Transitional words, when appropriately utilised, may enhance the readability of your writing.

Because of this, call your attention to it and others are some of the transitional words you should consider employing in your work.

Be descriptive in your writing

You may lengthen your paper by going into great depth on a single concept.

For example, if you want to clean your home, be specific about the places you should concentrate on, as well as the detergents you should use.

However, keep in mind that if you concentrate too much on a single topic, your work may seem to be too wordy.

Engage the help of an essay writer

Asking a professional to write my essay for me cheap is one of the finest and most neglected methods to make your work seem lengthier. An essay writer concentrates on providing high-quality work to their customers .

As a result, they will take their time to produce a well-researched paper that reaches its word limit without difficulty.

Students struggle to meet their word limit for two reasons: they begin writing on a paper when it is nearly due or unfamiliar with the subject.

Students that attempt to lengthen their papers do so at the expense of their substance. Even though some of their tactics seem perfect, teachers may quickly spot them while reading the paper.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t legitimate methods to increase word count. The methods listed above will teach you which tactics to employ and which to avoid when writing your paper.

Simple methods such as raising your text size and plagiarising are no longer effective.

Ideas for Lengthening Your Paper

Make use of examples.

When you’re trying to figure out how to make an essay longer, start with the assertions you’ve made. Go back and look for the concepts you presented. Did you provide any instances to back up your claims? If you didn’t, consider including some research that backs up your argument. This will not only enhance your points, but it will also make your paper longer.

If you argued that UFOs were genuine, you might provide an example of a sighting from a witness or cite a documentary. You should use many examples for each concept! Because your arguments are substantiated, your professor will be pleased, and your writing will be lengthier as a consequence.

Use phrases to transition ideas

Including transitional words is a more natural approach to extend the length of your text. It enables you to move from one concept to the next while gently guiding your readers along. They will also extend the length of your text! It’s a win-win scenario for both parties. In your article, try using some of the following phrases:

Try outlining in the other direction

It’s exactly what it sounds like: reverse outlining. After you’ve finished writing your paper, go through it again and make an outline based on what you’ve previously written. This may help you rearrange pages so that they make better sense to others who are reading your work and identify places where you need to improve.

Take advantage of the chance to lengthen your work if you notice a point you made that might be clarified more.

If you find long paragraphs introducing several concepts, split them into smaller paragraphs and explain each point more fully.

Review the prompt again

You’ve probably read your prompt a million times by now, but revisit it if you’re having trouble generating a very lengthy text. Consider if you’ve addressed all of your professor’s queries. Did you use persuasive language to back them up? Take the time to double-check that you’ve met all of the criteria. If you haven’t already, you should add additional information to your paper.

Try to format your paragraphs

Make sure that each paragraph has the proper formatting. A subject sentence, supporting evidence and argument, and a conclusion or transition should be included in each paragraph of the essay format . If portions of this formatting are missing from some of your paragraphs, write phrases to fill in the gaps.

Increase the number of words you use

It’s akin to the ridiculous advice to “simply use more phrases or words!” But pay attention to what we’re saying and take a look at your work. There are a few clever methods to utilise multiples instead of one…

Verbs that begin with “to be” should be included. Sayings like “I eat fast” should be avoided. Try writing something like, “I am a fast eater.”

Be more detailed in your writing. “We had a good time at the fair,” don’t mention. “This weekend, my buddy and I went to the fair,” you might say. “Riding the Ferris wheel and eating funnel cakes was a blast.”

Convert verbs to nouns. “I came to the conclusion that…” is lengthier than “I came to the conclusion that…”

See if you can disprove your own assertions

Consider the counter-arguments to your thesis and make sure you’ve answered them. Sure, you could make a compelling case for your viewpoint. What, on the other hand, would someone in the other camp say? And, in answer, what would you say? Making sure their answers are already in your paper is a fantastic way to make sure you’ve covered all the bases… and a great way to add some length if your paper is a bit short.

Ensure that your paper’s structure is sound

Confirm that your introduction, thesis statement, and conclusion are all strong. Although you may be concentrating on the body of your paper and the data that supports your viewpoint, a good introduction, thesis, and conclusion are essential. Making sure your paper begins off strong (strong intro), has a solid foundation to build on (strong thesis), and leaves the reader satisfied (excellent conclusion) is a fantastic approach to make it better—and longer!

Tricks That No Longer Work in Making Your Paper Longer

However, this does not rule out the possibility of lengthening your paper legitimately. But, to be safe, here are some techniques that you may believe are working but that you should avoid.

Avoid too much line spacing

Don’t use line spacing to make your college paper longer. The majority of students believe that college instructors are incapable of distinguishing between line spacing.

Increasing font sizes

We can identify the difference in font sizes in your works just as we can detect the difference in line spacing. Typeface 12 Times New Roman is the standard font for most college papers.

On the other hand, students will attempt to alter typefaces by raising them to 12.5 or 13. This may seem to be an intelligent approach, but we can tell the difference.

Professors may or may not indicate the kind of typeface to be used. Students, in this instance, attempt to influence them by choosing larger fonts such as Ariel Black and assuming that we would accept it. We can speak the truth, however.

Content with a lot of words

You’ve undoubtedly encountered someone who rambles on and on about something, causing you to lose track of the plot. A good tale will lose its significance if it has too many words.

I’ve seen pupils believe that by adding words to their work, the word count would rise. Technically, yes, but a long-phrase or paragraph is boring, and your thoughts may get lost in the shuffle.

I’ve read papers that had a fantastic beginning but were tedious to read the rest of the way. As a result, the enthusiasm fades and the desire to complete the piece wanes.

Students may also make their papers wordier by using complicated terms

I get that you want to seem astute, but employing complicated phrases is not the best way to do it. Simple words are considerably easier to understand and absorb.

It’s the same as cooking. Using too many spices and herbs can alter the flavour of the meal.

Plagiarising your work

Some students continue to copy work from the internet, paste it into word documents, and then submit it as their own.

Plagiarism may help you get more words, but it’s not the best method. Copying and pasting is not only a time-consuming method of completing tasks, but it also demonstrates academic dishonesty .

Some students believe that submitting material previously authored is not plagiarism since it is their work.

This is self-plagiarism, and if your professor chooses to report you, you will face severe consequences. If you submit plagiarised work, you risk being expelled.

Using an excessive number of quotations

Quotations aren’t terrible; in fact, they help you get more words on the page. They may make your paper seem as though you spent time researching it.

However, most students make the mistake of utilising too many quotes.

If you include too many quotes in your paper, it will seem less personal.

You will lose the opportunity to emphasise your points of view, which is irrelevant to the paper’s purpose.

The usual guideline for quoting in a research paper is that it should not exceed 20%.

Write without an outline

Although an outline is an essential component of your paper, most students neglect to make one before working on their projects. An overview is nothing more than a road map to assist you in writing your paper. It includes elements that will assist you in determining what subjects and subtopics to write about.

I can detect the difference between a paper prepared with and without an outline. You will make the error of repeating points if you compose a paper without a plan. You may also overlook some of the areas on which you should have concentrated, resulting in a lack of flow in your writing.

Useful Links:

Essay Services

Assignment services, mba services, by subjects, give your grades a boost, top academic writers ready, to help with your research proposal, connect with us.

Just ask our team to write your assignment and then sit back and relax. We’ll get it done.

Safe & Trusted

Your Peachy Essay purchase is secure and we're rated 4.5/5

All work is written to order. No plagiarism, guaranteed!

We're here to answer any questions you have about our services

Quick Links

Peachy Essay provides model essays for tutoring and learning purposes only. At the end of the day, it’s the students responsibility to do their own research and work. And therefore, submit their own work. We are a strong believer in academic integrity and have a “zero tolerance policy” on plagiarism. Therefore, all our works will be submitted with a FREE Turnitin plagiarism report.

© 2007 — 2023 Peachy Essay. All Rights Reserved. 

How to Make a College Paper Longer

101dalmatians / Getty Images

• Before You Arrive
• Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Living On Campus
• Outside The Classroom
• Graduation & Beyond
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Admissions
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• M.Ed., Higher Education Administration, Harvard University
• B.A., English and Comparative Literary Studies, Occidental College

Need to make a paper longer but out of ideas? Forget fudging the margins and font or even the legendary "period trick." These 6 tips will make your paper longer—and better!

Avoid the Old, Obvious Tricks

First and foremost, know that your professor most likely knows about all of the "easy" tricks and can spot 'em! Changing the font, changing the margins, doing the "period trick," and tons of other sneaky ways to make your paper longer have all been done before and then some. Since you need to make your paper longer , not worse , skip the easy stuff and focus on the content.

Cite a Few Sources

Add additional quotations to support your examples. If your paper is good, you'll have examples to support your thesis . To make your paper even better (and longer), make sure you have at least one quotation from the text—if not more—to support your examples. (And be careful about citing your quotations accurately, too.)

Add Some Examples to Your Paper

Add an additional example to each paragraph/argument/idea. If you can't add more quotations , add more examples to support your position. Think about more ways to make your point by showing —not just telling—the reader.

Check Your Paragraph Format

Make sure each paragraph has a topic sentence , supporting evidence , and a concluding/transition sentence. Of course, each paragraph should have more than just these three sentences, but you might be surprised at how easily each can be left off—and how much longer your paper can become if you go back through and insert missing items where needed.

See If You Can Prove Yourself Wrong

Think about the arguments against your thesis—and then make sure you've addressed those points. Sure, you may have good arguments for your position. But what would someone holding the opposite position say? And what would you say in response? Making sure those responses are already included in your paper is a great way to make sure you've covered all the bases... and a great way to add some length if your paper is a little shorter than you'd like.

Make Sure Your Paper Structure Is Solid

Confirm and reconfirm that you have a strong introduction , thesis statement , and conclusion . ​Although you may be focused on the body of your paper and the evidence supporting your position, having a strong intro, thesis, and conclusion are important, too. Making sure your paper starts with a bang (good intro), has a solid foundation to stand on (strong thesis), and leaves the reader convinced (stellar conclusion) is a great way to make sure your paper is all-around better—and longer!

• Tips on How to Write an Argumentative Essay
• What Is Expository Writing?
• How To Write an Essay
• The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay
• How to Write a Research Paper That Earns an A
• Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition
• Tips for Writing an Art History Paper
• Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
• How to Structure an Essay
• An Introduction to Academic Writing
• 5 Steps to Writing a Position Paper
• The Five Steps of Writing an Essay
• How Can You Stretch a Paper to Make it Longer?
• Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing
• Formatting Papers in Chicago Style
• How to Write a Good Thesis Statement

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Home / Guides / Writing Guides / Writing Tips / How to Make an Essay Longer the Smart Way

How to Make an Essay Longer the Smart Way

Meeting an essay’s required page or word count can sometimes be a struggle, especially if you’re juggling multiple papers or exams. In a pinch, students often rely on tricks like increasing margin size or making their font slightly bigger. Though these tricks do increase page length, there are easier (and smarter) ways to write a longer, high-quality essay. Making a paper meet minimum word or page counts doesn’t have to be an agonizing process—you can add length while also adding clarity and depth.

Here are 10 tips on how you can write a longer and a smarter essay, even if the deadline is fast approaching:

Tip #1: Look Back at Your Prompt/Rubric/etc.

If you’ve been provided a comprehensive prompt or rubric for an essay, read it, and read it again. Think about the following:

• Did you answer all of the questions in the prompt?
• Did you provide supporting evidence to back up whatever claims you made?
• Did you leave out any information that might increase the reader’s understanding of your argument?
• Did you meet all requirements (besides length) for the paper?

If the answer isn’t a decisive “yes” to every question on this list, go back and revise.

Tip #2: Go Back Through Your Introduction and Conclusion

Often times, ideas evolve while writing a paper. If the first thing you wrote was the introduction, go back and reread the first paragraph. You might decide that you left out key information that aids the reader in understanding your argument. When looking back on the conclusion, make sure you’ve both summarized the main points within the essay and provided your reader with a solution to consider. If you don’t feel you’ve done this, go back through and revise the paper.

Tip #3: Have Someone Proofread Your Essay

Even if you’re short on time ask a friend, sibling, or parent to read through your paper, specifically noting any points they find confusing. Then, go back and revise the parts that were unclear, adding in more information to provide readers with further clarity. You have a more comprehensive understanding of what you’re writing about than your reader, so having someone else look over your paper can be a helpful way to ensure that you haven’t missed any important details.

Tip #4: Use Quotations

Chances are, you have already used quotes in your paper. Quotations are a great way to enhance your argument while also driving up a paper’s word count, but don’t add quotes just for the sake of doing so. If you’re short on words, read through your source materials again to see if you’ve missed any valuable quotes. You can also do a little more research to see if there are any other sources you can add to provide the reader with more evidence toward your argument. Longer quotes aren’t necessarily better, but if you’re really in a bind, you might want to lengthen some of the quotes that are already included.

Tip #5: Review Your Outline

Did you make an outline to plan the essay when you first started? Go back through that initial outline and make sure you’ve hit all of your intended points. It’s possible that you’ve left out an important piece of your argument that would both increase page count and make for a better essay.

Tip #6: Include More Transitional Phrases

Graders often look for traditional words linking sentences to each other, like “therefore,” “even though”, and “on the other hand.” Read through your essay and make sure the sentences flow smoothly into each other. If they don’t, go back and add in transitional phrases like the ones listed above. Your writing will be easier to read, and you’ll get closer to the minimum page requirement in the process.

Tip #7: Read Your Paper Out Loud

This might sound like a silly tip, but when you read your paper out loud, you become increasingly aware of any grammatical or syntactical issues. When you rephrase sentences to fix these, you might end up increasing the paper length a bit. In the process of reading out loud, you also might realize that you didn’t include sufficient details within a particular paragraph. If that’s the case, go back in and add more to increase length.

Tip #8: Take a Break From Your Essay

You’ve probably been staring at your computer screen for hours, hoping words will magically pop into your head. Take a break. Eat a snack, go for a walk, or talk to a friend on the phone. You’ll come back to the essay with a fresh perspective after some time away, and you might have new ideas after you’ve had time away from your paper.

Tip #9: Ask Your Instructor for Help

Most teachers, teaching assistants, and professors are willing to look over papers for students before the final submission date. If there is still time, ask if you can make an appointment to go over your paper or head over to office hours. Your instructor might offer tips on how to better answer the prompt, and this in turn may also increase the word count of the paper.

Tip #10: Use multiple examples to back up your argument

If you’ve only used one source or anecdote to explain a given point, find a second source to provide additional evidence for the reader. This method will help drive up a paper’s word count while also providing further support for your argument.

Although hitting a minimum page count can sometimes be challenging, you can do it the smart way by increasing the information you provide to the reader—there’s no reason to resort to tricks like increasing line spacing or font size. If you’re really in a bind at the last minute, you might want to break up some of your paragraphs. This increases length while also making text more manageable for a reader. But after going through the tips on this list, your paper should be adequate in length without you having to even consider spacing.

EasyBib Writing Resources

Writing a paper.

• Academic Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• College Admissions Essay
• Expository Essay
• Persuasive Essay
• Research Paper
• Thesis Statement
• Writing a Conclusion
• Writing an Introduction
• Writing an Outline
• Writing a Summary

EasyBib Plus Features

• Citation Generator
• Essay Checker
• Expert Check Proofreader
• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tools

Plagiarism Checker

• Spell Checker

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Grammar and Plagiarism Checkers

Grammar Basics

Plagiarism Basics

Writing Basics

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

Toll-Free US & Canada 24/7:

1-770-659-7014

As a precautionary health measure for our support specialists in light of COVID-19, our phone support option will be temporarily unavailable. However, orders are processed online as usual and communication via live chat, messenger, and email is conducted 24/7. There are no delays with processing new and current orders.

How to make an essay longer: Simple Tricks to Dramatically Increase Word Count

Discover tips and find info about What to Write About in a Blog

Our experts from BookWormLab tried hard to make you inspired!

Want to get unique help with writing?

You may argue that a word count is not the main parameter in your essay, and you will be right. The actual content matters more and has a greater impact on your grade. However, a word count remains the key technical requirement and the one that most professors pay utmost attention to, especially if you are a junior at college. So, whether you like it or not, you must abide by the word count requirement.

In this article, we offer simple, yet highly effective tricks and tips to lengthen your essay’s word count, as most often students end up with less content volume when finishing the first draft.

Ways to Make a Paper Longer

What do you already know about how to make an essay longer? Perhaps, you’ve already heard about adding more examples, making sentences longer by adding more details, extending the existing sentence to make a whole new paragraph, and even starting a new chain of thoughts to support your arguments.

Below, we bring to your attention the most effective tips and tricks as advised by our fellow expert writers. They know firsthand how to quickly elongate a paper’s volume, and how to do it efficiently, that is, spending less time and effort and getting the maximum output.

Tricks to Make Your Paper Longer: Expert Advice

Trick #1 : Reread and revise

We advise that every time you are up to making essay longer, you should start with rereading your draft carefully, rethinking the content that’s already there, changing weak points, getting rid of shallow arguments, and start adding absolutely novel phrases, original ideas, and thoughts. This tactic always yields astonishing results, as opposed to extending separate sentences and fixing what’s already looking bad. Provided, you have time for such fundamental hacks, of course.

Trick #2 : Write more words that add value

One of the quickest ways to add length to your essay is by adding new words and phrases. Read through each sentence slowly and analyze where a single extra word or an additional phrase would make more sense, explain the meaning better, make the reading experience smoother, etc. Aim not to add empty and vague words, but only those that add value to your essay.

Trick #3 : Consider adding quotes & citations

Another brilliant way how to make a paper longer is by adding context-relevant quotes. You cannot have too many quotes in an essay, so aim for the most valuable and lengthy quote you can possibly find, which will extend your essay by at least a couple of sentences. Adding quotes and citations, wrap them into supporting and explanatory sentences before and after – that will noticeably increase essay length too. The optimal places for a quote in an essay are the introductory paragraph and the conclusion.

Trick #4 : Stretch an essay by adding transition words and phrases

Our writing experts recommend resorting to this trick only after you have tried everything above. This is because transition words and phrases don’t add value to the content. Nevertheless, they will definitely help you get more words in your paper and can make reading smoother. To add transition words and phrases, such as ‘basically’, ‘indeed’, ‘predominantly’, ‘after all’, ‘in a nutshell’, and ‘this way or the other’, pay attention to the way your existing sentences are connected, especially those that link different paragraphs. When finding ‘rough’ edges and missing links, consider adding appropriate transitions.

Trick #5 : Don’t forget about adjectives

Adding adjectives is another quick method to get more words into your essay. Adjectives, such as ‘brilliant’, ‘outstanding’, ‘enormous, ‘meaningless’, ‘balanced’, ‘bright’, and others have the power to either enhance the meaning of your words and sentences or diminish it, depending on the situation and your needs (e.g., if you want to support or refute a hypothesis).

If the above tricks and tips seem too time-consuming to you, or you feel like you need a little help, Bookwormlabs is always here to assist you! We know how to apply the above, as well as many other tricks and ways to make your essay longer. For over a decade, we’ve been helping students to achieve outstanding results in academia by crafting bespoke papers on their demand and according to their requirements. Book an expert writer now, and forget about headaches and sleepless nights over your essay writing and proofreading.

Plagiarism-free

Related Blog Posts

• Submit News
• Business Directory

• Top Stories
• Paso Robles History
• Paso Robles Rainfall
• Best of Paso Robles
• Entertainment
• Wine Tasting Map
• Atascadero News
• Cambria News & Guide
• Central Coast Business News
• COVID-19 News updates
• SLO County News
• SLO Travel Guide
• Templeton News
• Water Level at Lake Nacimiento
• Noticias en español

5 Tips and Tricks on How to Make an Essay Longer 

A lot of details are required in an essay and a student must research extensively to gather all the details required and write them. There is the introduction, detailed points in the body, summarized conclusion, and references.

Even with all the information, the toughest part a student may experience is hitting the right word count or expected number of pages. Some students can be tempted to add fluffy words or unnecessary information to lengthen their college admission  essay writing . You can use these tricks and tips to make your essay longer.

In the classroom, you might have probably been taught the importance of being brief and direct to the point. This teaching is not wrong, but it is better applicable in other circumstances in life. An essay requires deeper details to make your points as elaborate as possible.

When your essay is short of the right word count, read through your points and elaborate on them further. Be sure the information you add is relevant and avoid fluff. If you had five strong points with a brief, to-the-point explanation, revisit them and add more information.

Good essay writing skills can be enhanced through a commitment to study and practice. Essays significantly contribute to your grades and that’s why you must put extra effort to write the best quality essay. If you need help,  EduBirdie can write an essay for you  at a very reasonable rate. They have helped college students for more than five years and every student who have used their service return again for more because of their excellent quality. They are available day and night to give writing help when you need it.

Examples help to prove or make your argument stronger but they must be given in the right way. One example for each point might make your essay fall short of word count. If you research deeper, you will not luck more examples that you can use to add weight to your points. Use them wisely lest you affect the flow of your essay.

Before you start to write your essay, you should  begin with an outline  and write down the structure and the points you will use to make your essay look good. There are also the points your teacher wrote and asked you to include.

Read through your essay again and tick against your rough outline to make sure you have included every point your teacher gave you and the points from your ideas. If you are missing any point, work on it and use detailed information.

Your  essay word count  can be affected by the level of your research. If you did shallow research, you would have fewer points and your essay would be short. Go deeper into research and gather as much information as possible.

Students who immerse themselves into deeper research will mostly have more than enough points to use in their essays. Try this trick and you’ll be surprised to find yourself with points that you cannot include in your essay because you’ve already hit the required word count.

Quoting someone else in your essay helps add value to it. If you fail to use quotations sparingly and in the right way, it might make your essay look poorly written. When they are used in the right way, they make your points stronger and you can earn more marks. Find out if you can get more relevant quotations and use them wisely to make your essay look good.

Transitional sentences and phrases help to show how a paragraph or text section is related to the other. They create greater cohesion by helping to bridge one idea to the other. An example can be – you have important information to give, but no one pays attention. You are requesting a deal, but you are ignored.

There are many transitional sentences and phrases you can think about but they must add value to your essay and make the flow smooth. When used correctly, they will turn your essay into a great piece of writing.

Your essay might not meet the word count in your first round of writing, but if you revise it slowly and keenly, you create more words, sentences, and phrases to help lengthen it. The best trick is to take your time to research extensively to get more than enough information to use in your essay. When arguing on your points, do not use direct-to-the-point arguments, but elaborate as much as you can.

Michael Turner works in a technology startup as the lead copywriter and his contribution in terms of emails and landing pages has ensured great success for the company. He’s equally good in his freelancing gigs as an academic writer and his expertise is in thesis and essays. His free time is for reading fiction, playing strategy games and watching mixed martial arts.

• Join the 7,197 current subscribers Subscribe to our mailing list

Most Popular Stories

Local chef set to compete on episode of chopped.

The episode’s theme focuses on Julia Child’s legacy – Rachel Ponce, a local chef, will appear on the Nov. 28 episode of Chopped titled “Julia …

Hit-and-run crash on Highway 46 leaves one in critical condition

CHP investigates collision near Shandon Rest Area exit – A hit-and-run collision occurred early Friday morning at approximately 5:10 a.m. on Highway 46 near the …

Former fitness club owner pleads guilty to illegal video recording at facility

Update posted Nov. 29, 2023:  – San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow has announced that San Luis Obispo City resident Cole Charles Corrigan, …

Twitter #pasorobles

Say Hello To Andy Neja and Cairjn Wine Cellars https://www.thewinewrite.com/2023/04/say-hello-to-andy-neja-and-cairjn-wine.html #MondayBlogs #PasoRobles #PasoRoblesWine #CairjnWineCellars #UnderTheVinfluence @PasoRoblesWine @PasoRoblesWines

#PasoRobles #jobs #hiring #opportunity @ All Ways Caring HomeCare | CAREGIVER/HOME HEALTH AIDE https://work.frontend.la/i/paso-robles-ca/caregiver-home-health-aide/1/18d9d985c0d17ba4

New Directory Listings

• Noticias de Paso Robles en español
• Paso Robles Wine Tasting Map

Paso Robles Storage

Mars Mega Storage is a clean and safe Paso Robles storage facility , serving Paso Robles since 2005.

Proud member of the California News Publishers Association

Inflate your writing

It is 5 AM and you have a paper due in 3 hours. After staying up all night, you have only managed to type up 5 pages of the 8 page requirement, and you are beginning to run out of ideas. Never fear, Text Inflator is here to save your sanity.

Paste text in the form below to expand your paper without adding ideas, meaning, or value.

Don't have any text to use right now? Test with a sample: Select One (if needed) Text Inflator Information Declaration of Independence Intro Sample from Call of the Wild

Text Inflator is a tool that expands the length of a block of writing without adding any additional meaning. Simply paste your paper, essay, report, article, speech, paragraph, or any other block of English writing below and choose a desperation setting. A higher desperation setting will expand your essay much more than a smaller one, but will make your writing much more verbose sounding.

How does it work?

Text Inflator adds unnecessary modifiers to adjectives and verbs, uses larger words and phrases in place of smaller ones, and repeats parts of sentences. For the best results, it is recommended that you input grammatically correct paragraphs without spelling mistakes.

Although this tool will make your essay, paragraph, or paper longer, it may make it worse. It is not recommended that this be used for a formal, graded assignment, except possibly in the most extreme of circumstances with a low desperation setting and additional editing on your part. We are not responsible for lower grades or demoralizing remarks from your teachers or professors.