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How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay: Full Guide with Examples

MS word double spacing

Double spacing is an editing method that refers to the space between the lines of your essay. The tutor will ask the student to double-space to add the comments and editing marks. 

Double spacing happens to be the norm in essay writing. The student can change the spacing depending on the word processing programs. They could be Microsoft Word or Mac’s Pages word-processing programs. 

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What is a double spaced essay.

A double-spaced essay is an essay where the author formatted the space between the lines and the paragraphs using double spacing selection. Ideally, a double-spaced essay contains between 275 and 300 words per page depending on the font. The format is common to students and tutors as they use the space to make corrections. 

A double-spaced essay can carry 275 words per page.

It all depends on the page margins where you are placing your text.

Suppose your page is of standard size, then the words will increase naturally.

When you are using an A4-sized page, the same essay may contain fewer words. 

Notably, the author can write as many words as he or she desires. The only limit could be your ability. The shortest essay could range between 500 and 1000 words. However, any essayist could write thousands of words to expound on the provided topic. 

The standard font for a double-spaced essay should be 12. Such empowers the writer to create at least 200 words for each page. When you are writing using this 12-point font, it makes the paragraphs to be understandable. 

The college can penalize the student if he fails to stick to the instructions. As such, it is vital to work with 12 points when you are writing an essay.

When you are writing the essay, you can use any font type unless indicated in the instructions. If unsure, then you can select the Home tab as you click on the correct font icon. 

Why Double Space? 

We do double spacing to meet the requirements of the checker. Again double spacing is necessary to allow the teacher to comment on the feedback while evaluating the essay.

The essay should meet the desires of the reader and not the writer. You can read more about writing good essays in the guide about the contents and the structure.

Difference between Single and Double Spaced Essays

The double-spaced document involves creating additional space between the paragraphs. Such a format will feature two spaces where the writer will have to press the Enter button twice. The added space allows the teacher to make changes and other remarks. 

A single-spaced paper is where there is little white space between the paragraphs. For this case, the tutor can also give instructions to students to use that format when writing a particular essay. The author only presses the Enter button once. 

How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay

Whether writing a narrative report or an essay for your school, you should select a line for spacing your work. The double spacing design becomes great as it makes it easier for the author to get the flow of the text. 

One can double-space the work by making the correct parameters for the selected text or the entire document. Several word processing documents exist to help you double-space your work, as indicated in the following examples. 

Double-Spacing in MS Word 

Begin by opening the document that you are working with. It could be either a blank document or some needs text in it. 

• You can now create a default document to enable the whole document to stay double-spaced by following the simple procedure as
• Locate the toolbar and select the styles. 
• Right-click on the Normal on the Home tab
• Click on modify on the pop-up menu.
• Select the Formatting prompt and choose the Double-spaced button. 
• Choose OK to activate the Double spacing design. 
• Create a space within your document where you desire to double space.
• Highlight the text you desire to double-space. 
• Click on Paragraph spacing and Line.
• Choose option 2.0 to double-space the highlighted space. 

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How to Spice up Double-Spacing your essay

One can make the essay remain engaging and interesting by double spacing it. Some of the things that could make it appealing are as follows:

a) Using Short Sentences

The purpose of essay writing is to impress the reader. As the research study indicates, you should use short sentences to make your essay more readable. The reason behind short sentences is that they are easy to understand. 

It could be tempting if you settled on using a large and complex vocabulary in your essay construction. In practice, complex sentences make it hard for the reader to enjoy the flow.

The secret is writing short and meaningful sentences and coming up with some charming lines. This is one of the recommended ways to become a better essay writer because you present your points in precise sentences.

b) Use Ordinary Words 

The reader’s nature is that they appreciate small and ordinary words. Another thing is that the readers do not like to be exposed as having a vocabulary problem. You can make it more appealing by using simple common words. 

The reader will be interested in the article if it carries common words that they understand without any struggle. Such an engaging document will bring desirable outcomes. 

c) Structure Your Essay Properly

A well-structured essay should arouse the interest of the reader. Precisely, a well-structured essay is ever reader-friendly. The author should make the content to be in the right structure. Follow simple steps to ensure that your essay remains in the proper structure. 

For example, you should begin with the introduction but other content in the body and make your conclusion.

Such carries a standard format of organizing your work in an engaging manner. 

Suppose your essay is talking about what history is all about, then you should write what comes up first.

End with what came last to ensure you are achieving proper structure. 

d) Be Factual When Substantiating Your Claims 

The most common mistake the essayists make is writing what they only believe. The correct format is to substantiate those arguments with facts.

Never leave out empirical evidence because you do not believe in it. Such could make it easy to be undesirable. Also, avoid saturating the points with facts that appear too odd.

The writer should also be keen never to jump to conclusions.  Let the author present the point backed by utmost research and weight.

The essay should address what the reader should find interesting. For that matter, make strong arguments for increasing your authority as a writer. 

e) Keep Your Essay Relevant 

Suppose your essay lacks relevancy, then it may fail to score better marks. An irrelevant essay means that it lacks sense in the common application. You can increase its relevancy by writing hot topics. 

When you complete your essay, ensure you proofread it to fine-tune it for any deviations and errors. Become your first judge. Such tactics make you improve your writing as you move on.

You can retain your authority over the topic by sticking with the right facts. At that point, you will make any reader get glued to your piece. 

f) Choose Hot Topics

The purpose of writing an essay is to engage the reader. The essay could fail to be interesting if you are writing on a boring old topic. The challenge lies in selecting the hot topic.

The writer should be careful in selecting the right topic. It calls for doing enough research to come up with the right topic of study. When unsure, then you can seek guidance from your faculty to know the correct topic to research and craft the essay about. 

Benefits of Double-Spacing in Academic Writing

1. easy to read.

First, leaving extra space between lines improves readability and makes the content easier to absorb and follow. Additionally, double spacing allows for comments and suggestions from professors or fellow students within the text.

Additionally, it enhances the essay’s general appearance, making it more polished and pleasing. Also, double spacing makes it easier to insert adjustments or amendments, facilitating effective editing and proofreading procedures.

2. It Makes an Essay Longer

Double spacing might sometimes give the impression that an essay is longer. The content is dispersed and gets more words by widening the line space. When an assignment has definite duration requirements, this may be useful.

It is vital to remember that lengthening an essay unnecessarily without adding relevant material could hurt the writer’s overall quality and consistency.

3. One can read while underlining

Another advantage of double spacing in essays is that it makes it simple for readers to underline or highlight key passages.

Since there is more area between lines, readers can mark or comment on particular portions, making it simpler to interact with the text and grasp its main ideas.

Also, because the underlined passages act as visual indicators for essential content, this can be very helpful for studying, revisiting, or referring to the essay in the future.

4. Offers space for personal notes

The wider line spacing allows students to make notes or add additional thoughts to their essays in the margins or between the lines.

This provides a handy way to write notes, draw connections, or provide additional context for specific textual passages.

These private notes can improve the overall learning and engagement with the essay by acting as helpful references for discussions, edits, or subsequent study sessions.

5. Easy to Spot mistakes

The increased spacing between lines allows for clearer visibility of individual words, sentences, and punctuation marks. This enhanced readability helps identify typos, grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies.

With white space, the eyes can navigate the text more comfortably, enabling a more careful and thorough review.

As a result, double spacing facilitates the proofreading and editing process, leading to a higher chance of catching and correcting mistakes before the final submission.

6. The paper looks professional

In essays, double spacing gives them a more polished appearance. The wider line spacing makes the document’s layout neater and more streamlined.

Also, this formatting decision complies with accepted academic standards and improves the essay’s overall presentation, giving it a polished and expert appearance.

7. Conforms with most referencing styles

Many style guides, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago, recommend double spacing as a standard requirement.

When you adhere to this spacing format, your essay aligns with the guidelines and expectations of these referencing styles, ensuring consistency and conformity in your writing.

8. Promotes clarity of text

In essays, double spacing encourages text clarity. The legibility is improved, and word crowding is prevented by leaving more space between lines.

The reader’s capacity to discern between individual words and sentences is improved by the greater spacing, which lowers the possibility of misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

Effective communication relies heavily on clarity, and double spacing makes the substance of the essay easier to understand.

Watch this video to learn more about this.

Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay and Score an A for it

Many guidelines for formatting essays, as presented in rubrics, recommend double-spacing as one of the proper formats for standard comprehensive essays . For instance, when you receive the assignment instructions, essay prompts, or other academic homework assignment instructions, the Spacing of the work is usually specified.

The common spacing specifications include a 1.5 spaced essay, single-spaced essay, and a double-spaced or 2.0 spaced essay. In most cases, instructors will insist that your essay must be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized 8.5" by 11" paper, with margins of 1" on all sides.

In this detailed guide, we focus on the definition of a double-spaced essay, how to double-space an essay on MS Word or Mac Pages, and how to spice up that essay so that you score higher marks.

What is a double-spaced essay?

Here is the meaning of a double-spaced essay : A double-spaced essay is a standard essay written on a standard-sized (8.5" x 11") paper with a one-inch margin around the paper formatted with double spaces between the lines that make a paragraph with no extra spacing between paragraphs.  

In terms of word count, a double-spaced essay contains either 275 or 300 words in total per page, depending on the font used. Formatting a paper in double-spacing makes it easier for the tutor to read through the essay, make corrections within the left spaces, and follow through with ideas in your essay.

The number of words in a double-spacing essay also depends on the page margins you have set for your text. For instance, if you use A-4 sized page, an essay will have fewer words, the same as an A3 page. However, a standard-sized age with one-inch margins all around should have 275 words as a standard.

With short essays being between 250 words and 1000 words, with the most common in college being a 500-word essay, you can write as many words as you wish depending on the scope of the question, essay prompt, and the topic.

In most instances, students are advised to use font 12 points of 11 depending on the font type you are using. Failure to format your essay in the required Spacing might lead to penalties ranging from deduction of grades to poor grades.

As you set out to write or edit your essay, ensure that you choose a font that your professor advises. But this should only be the last thing you do as you polish your essay. For instance, some students find it comfortable writing with a given font, say Arial font 13, and then converting to Times New Roman font 12 when editing.

What is the significance of Double Spacing in essays and assignments?

You are probably wondering why we double-space essays or why it is the preferred standard for essays you write in high school and college. Below are some of the top three reasons why teachers want essays to be double-spaced.

• Double-spacing makes it easier to read through the document quickly as the lines do not blur together.
• Double-spaced essays are also reader-friendly. A reader can easily read and trace the points in your essay without needing extra aids or larger fonts.
• Double-spaced essays or assignments are also preferred because they leave whitespaces where the instructors can write comments on the paper.
• Another reason is that double-spaced essays give you (the essayist) enough room to communicate to your readers. The Spacing enhances the spatial mode of the essay or paper, making it easier to spot main points, read without getting lost or straying into other lines, and use one's fingers.

Double-Spacing vs. Other tyles of Spacing for Essays

When writing an essay, report, dissertation, annotated bibliography, or research paper for school, you should be aware of the type of Spacing required. There are three types of Spacing for school assignments: single, 1.5, and double Spacing.

A double-spaced paper or document, which is the most common, entails creating 2.0 spaces between lines in a paragraph without spaces between paragraphs. Double-spacing is a norm of most college assignments; even dissertations and theses are mostly double-spaced.

A 1.5 spaced essay or document means that the lines or sentences in a paragraph are spaced 1.5 mm from one another without spaces between paragraphs.

Finally, a single-spaced paper has little white spaces between the typed lines in the paragraphs. The lines within the paragraph are spaced 1.0 from one another. This means that there is little room for comments, remarks, or feedback from the professor. You should only use single and 1.5 spacing if your instructor advises so.

If you have typed your paper and realize that you have the wrong spacing, do not worry. You can do the Spacing of an essay or document either on a word document or on a Mac, as we shall explain shortly. The good news is that you can do this at any point in your writing process. The process will differ depending on the program you are using. Let's explore widely.

If you are wondering what a double-spaced essay looks like, have a look below.

Here is how single Spacing should look like in an essay:

Pages vs. Spacing Chart

To try to bring things to their perspective, here is a table comparing word count to Spacing. It can help you plan your essays.

You can simply conclude from the table abov e that a single-spaced page has the exact word count as twice a double-spaced paper.

How to set Double-Spacing on your Computer

Some people prefer to use other font styles and formats when writing, then edit the entire document to the required format and Spacing later, which is okay. Others like to keep everything organized from the beginning, which means setting double-spacing from the onset. Whether on Mac Page's word processor or MS word processor, here are some steps to take.

Pages on a Mac

If you are using a Page's word processor on a mac, you can follow these steps to double-space your paper:

• Highlight the text that you wish to double-space
• Click on Inspector, a blue button on the top right of your window
• In the new window, select the Text tab or the "T."
• Find the section labeled Spacing and type 2 into the box to the right of the slide bar.

On Microsoft Word Processor

If you are typing your assignment on a word document, follow the following steps to double-space it:

1. Select the text that you wish to change its Spacing

2. Under the Home tab , go to the Paragraph Click on the small arrow in the bottom left corner, as shown below.

3. A new window will pop up with various settings, including general, indentation, and Spacing, as shown in the figure below.

4. Click on the line spacing drop-down arrow

5. Select " Double " from the list

6. Check the " Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style ."

7. Press OK to execute the changes and save

The process is more or less the same for all Microsoft word processing versions. 

You can also adjust the line-spacing from the toolbar on your Microsoft word processor . This is probably the best way if you are one of those that want a page with double-spacing from the onset.

1. Under the Paragraph section of the Home Tab , locate the line-spacing button .

2. Click on the button to expand it as shown below.

3. Choose 2 . 0 for double-spacing , 1.5 for 1.5 line-spacing, and 1.0 for single spacing.

4. Click on OK to make the paper double-spaced.

How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay: 9 Steps to Take

Suppose you are assigned to write a double-spacing essay and you are wondering how to proceed, here is a little cheat sheet to keep you going. We asked our top essay writers and here were their exact recommendations; they can help you craft a double-spaced essay or assignment.

1. Read the essay prompt

The first thing you should always do when assigned to write a double-spaced essay is to thoroughly read the assignment prompt. It helps you unpack the question, brainstorm on a good topic, and pick the best topic for your essay. additionally, you also get to understand the Spacing, font type and size, and length/wordcount of your essay. It is an integral step in writing an essay.

2. Select a good essay topic

After reading the instructions, you need to rewrite the question on your own terms, conduct some research, evaluate the viable topics, then choose a hot topic for your essay. depending on your area of study, select a topic that is neither too narrow nor too broad. Go with a topic that is easy to find resources and one that you have genuine interest in writing a paper. If you are left with the option of selecting a topic on your own, select a topic that is relevant to the subject of study.

3. Use appropriate evidence

We cannot insist less how much it is important to cite all the sources that you use in an essay. First, failure to cite sources used in an essay could amount to plagiarism, which is a punishable offense in higher education and even professional realms. Therefore, you need to manage your in-text citations and reference list to ensure that your paper has some scholarly rigor. Citing facts paraphrased, quoted, or summarized from a source bolsters the arguments in the paragraphs of your essay. It brings in a string of a scholarly streak that makes the paper flow, make sense, and support your thesis statement.

4. Present your facts well

When planning for your essay or writing an essay outline/structure, you ought to have thought of the scaffolding of your essay. An essay scaffold refers to the order in which you present your arguments, themes, or texts in an essay. Have some semblance of organization in your essay. As an essayist, ensure that you substantiate your claims using proper evidence.

Instead of casually presenting an idea because you do not believe in it, use the available empirical evidence to make the essay even more desirable. It is also appropriate not to jump into unwarranted or unsupported conclusions.

If you do so, let it be on grounds of the evidence presented to support your thesis statement. Equally, your essay must always address the readers, so focus on what would interest them. From the title to the reference page, ensure that your readers are well-entertained and hooked.

5. Have a good essay structure

Apart from determining the order of argument, ensure that your essay is also well-structured. A comprehensive essay with a definite structure intrigues the readers. It also simplifies the writing process because everything falls into its rightful place.

You will have a laser-sharp focus on a structured essay than an essay you write haphazardly. Such an essay (a poorly-planned essay) will probably miss a thing or two. But when you have an essay outline , your chances of intriguing your readers increased. In short, a well-structured essay is reader-friendly.

Instead of beginning with the introduction, like anyone else, why not begin with the body paragraphs. Because you have a preliminary thesis, your body paragraphs can be developed without the introduction.

You can then finalize the writing process by tweaking the thesis into a final thesis, based on the arguments on the body paragraphs, and then writing a catchy introduction.

When you have your introduction, you can now finalize the writing process by writing an equally catchy conclusion that leaves your readers yearning for more.

As long as you maintain the standard format of a three-paragraph or a five-paragraph essay, whichever order you use to write does not matter provided the quality of the essay is met.

Choose the essay scaffold depending on the type of essay you are writing. For instance, you can use Toulmin, classic argument method, or Rogerian approach when writing an argumentative essay . similarly, you can choose to use chronology or point-by-point contrast when writing a classification or compare and contrast essay .

6. Use simple vocabulary

When writing any essay, it is not the chance to measure who knows what vocabulary. Instead, it is a chance to present facts from research to reinforce your ideas and thoughts on a given topic. Resist the temptation of using tough words to impress your teacher. Simplicity always wins when it comes to essay writing. Write in plain and simple language.

Use the ordinary words that makes it easier for your instructor to read and flow with your ideas. They never have the time to peruse a thesaurus, and even if they do, you would probably irritate their appetite leading to poor grades.

Use simple common words to communicate with the audience. Most engaging and top-grade essays are written in simple language. Students who write simple papers end up scoring better, as long as the facts are presented, flowing, and well organized.

7. Use short and long sentences

Every piece of assignment you write is meant to impress your readers. Using short sentences and long sentences blended together makes an essay readable. Short sentences are brief, easy to understand, and allow for easier navigation.

Although sometimes it is tempting to use complex sentences, they are counted as run-on or ambiguous sentences. When writing, this should not trouble you. However, when editing the paper, shorten the long sentences that have empty but complex vocabularies. It narrows down to simplicity again.

All our writers are better because they have mastered the art of balancing short and long sentences. With such a craft, you can convince even the toughest professor on earth for the best grades.

Brevity, coherence, accuracy, composition, and clarity comes from a mastery of how to use short sentences. So, try to practice often and use this approach for success in your essays.

8. Balance your paragraphs

To achieve a perfect paragraph in an essay is akin to getting an A+. It is not hard although it is something that most people struggle with.

Ensure that your topic sentences achieve cohesion and coherence. Cohesion means a good flow while coherence means achieving a sense of the whole. Your paragraphs should transition into one another.

Each paragraph should present a single idea linked to the order. Check out our guide on the PEEL paragraphing format . We also have a checklist for a good essay paragraph . A paragraph is an indispensable or irreplaceable node within a coherent sequence of logic. They are the building blocks of the essays. So, make them count.

Finally, your paragraphs need to be balanced in terms of number of words. Remember, by default the body paragraphs comprise 80% of the entire word count. This means that if you are writing a five-paragraph essay, the three body paragraphs should be spread to cover for the same.

9. Edit and format correctly

The writing process is no doubt the hardest part. Since it comes with researching, reading, and critical thinking, by the time you are done chances are that you are exhausted and probably fatigued. If you make the mistake of rushing directly to edit and format the paper, you'll probably make mistakes. It is the sole reason why it is good to plan an essay � allocate some good time for editing and polishing the essay or any assignment for that matter.

Now, when you're done with writing, take some much-deserved break. You can go for a walk, have a nap, watch your favorite show, activate your social media and plug back, or visit a friend, whatever will ease your mind.

After the rest, spend some quality time objectively reading, editing, and formatting your essay. focus on spelling, grammar, stylistic, and organization mistakes. You should also check the right Spacing, fonts, and font type. If you find the process consuming and tiresome, you can use our essay editing service. We have keen editors who can always help.

After everything is okay, check your paper for plagiarism, and submit it before the deadline.

Parting Shot!

To this end, you now understand what a double-spaced essay is, how to set double Spacing on your Computer, and how to make a double-spacing interesting enough to earn you a better grade.

Whether you are writing in MLA, Harvard, APA , or Chicago, the process remains the same. If you need tips on how to make an essay longer , check out our guide on the same. We also have various guides that can help you become a better essay writer.

Related: How to indent in an essay or paper.

Otherwise, if all you need is someone who can assist you with writing a well-researched, refined, and polished school essay, we have excellent and talented writers on the wait. Place an order through the form on our homepage and experience a perfect essay help you have never seen before.

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

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Double-space the lines in a document

You can double-space all or part of a Word document.

To double-space the whole document, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing , and choose Double .

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Double-space the entire document

On the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click Normal , and then click Modify .

Under Formatting , click the Double Space button, and then click OK.

Formatting for the entire document changes to double spacing.

Double-space the selected text

Select the text that you want to change.

Click 2.0 .

Single-space the lines in a document

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How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay and Score an A for it

Published by Boni on November 11, 2022 November 11, 2022

What Does Double-Spaced Mean

In writing, formatting is essential to improving readability and successfully communicating ideas. Double spacing is a frequent formatting strategy. Whether you are a student, a professional writer, or someone who interacts with written materials frequently, it is essential to comprehend double spacing. You should also assess how it might affect the display and readability of your work.

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Double spacing is simply adding an extra line of space between each line of text. This gives the page a more open appearance and simplifies reading and editing. You can modify the line spacing in word processing systems through settings. For instance, the “Line Spacing” option in a Word document allows users to choose between single, 1.5, and double line spacing. In the majority of word processing programs, double-spacing is usually the default setting.

There are several reasons why writers utilize double spacing. Long passages of text may become easier to read, and it aids in maintaining the reader’s attention on the key ideas. Double spacing can also be used to divide lengthy passages into smaller, easier-to-read portions. Most essays, reports, articles, letters, and more, use this formatting style.

What is a Double-Spaced Essay?

A double-spaced essay is an essay where you separate the lines by one inch around the article with no extra space between the paragraphs. A double-spaced essay should be on a standard-sized (8.5”x 11”) paper with an inch margin around the document.

A double-spaced paper has 275 or 300 words per page, depending on the typeface. Here is a 2 paragraph double spaced essay example .

Double-Spaced Essay Format

It is essential to know how to format your document after writing. No matter the size of the paper, it is always possible to double space, but you should know how the program you have written your documents works. The most common programs students use are Word (Mac version) and Microsoft word.

For the Microsoft word

• You need to highlight the text.
• Open the page layout function at the top.
• In the paragraph section, find a small black arrow on the lower left side
• Click on the arrow to open a new window
• Then open the “intervals and indents” function; if not opened.
• Select the “line spacing,” which is on the double list section
• Click “Ok” to effect and save the changes

For Word (Mac Version), the instructions are as follows:

• Highlight all text or selected lines
• Click the inspector on the upper right corner (blue button)
• A new window will open
• Find a section called “Text” (labeled with a big “T”)
• Click on the interval section
• Enter 2 for double spacing on the right side of the selection bar
• Click “Ok” to save the changes

How to Set Double-Spacing on Your Computer

You can double-space all or part of a word document. Alternatively, some prefer to edit the document to spacing and format after writing, while others prefer keeping everything organized from the beginning, which means you write with double spacing from the start.

The following are double spacing steps on Word (Mac version) or MS Word Processor.

Documents on Mac Version

Use the following steps to double-space your document if you use the word mac version to process your pages.

• To double-space a specific text, highlight the text.
• Then click a blue button (inspector) on the right of your window.
• Select the “T” or Text tab in the new window that pops up
• Go to the section named spacing and write 2 into the box of the slide bar to the right.

On MS Word Processor

Follow the following space to double-space if you use a word document to write your essay.

1. Highlight the text you want to double space

2. Go to the paragraph section under the home tab, and on the bottom left corner, click the small arrow.

3. There will pop up a new window with different settings, including; spacing, identification, and general .

4. Click on the drop-down arrow on the line spacing

5. From the list, choose “double.”

6. Click on the box “ Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style .”

7. Press OK to save and effect the changes.

All Microsoft word processing versions use more or less the same steps when double spacing.

If you want to use the double spacing from the beginning when writing, you can adjust the line spacing on your Microsoft word processor toolbar.

• Go to the paragraph section on the home tab and find the line and paragraph spacing button.
• Click on the button to find more options

• Select 2.0 for double spacing
• Click OK to save the changes and double-space your document.

How to Write a Double-spaced Essay

You do not have to struggle when writing a double-spaced essay. The trick is to curate an interesting essay, just like you would for any other essay. Then, follow the right formatting style. By following the instructions below, you can ensure that your essay complies with the double-spacing standard and presents your thoughts concisely, readably, and expertly.

• Read the essay prompt

When asked to write a double-spaced essay, you must always start by carefully reading the assignment prompt. It enables you to analyze the question, generate ideas for a healthy subject, and select the top subject for your essay. Furthermore, you learn your article’s spacing, font type, size, and word count. It is a crucial phase of essay writing.

• Choose an essay topic

You must read the guidelines, then paraphrase the query in your own terms, do some research, assess the potential essay ideas, and select a good topic. Choose a good and narrow topic based on your field of study. Choose a subject where you can easily get resources and genuinely want to write a paper. Select a topic that is relevant to the study area if you are free to choose your own topic.

• Use appropriate materials

In an essay, you must cite all of your sources. First, forgetting to cite evidences in an essay can be viewed as plagiarism, which is prohibited in learning institutions and employment. To achieve scholarly rigor, you must keep track of your reference list and in-citations. Facts from sources that have been rephrased, cited, or summarized make essay paragraphs stronger. It improves the paper’s logic, flow, and thesis statement support.

• Present your facts well

You should have considered the scaffolding of your article when creating or composing an outline or framework. An essay scaffold arranges readings, arguments, and ideas. Put your essay in order. Writers should back up their claims.

Instead of putting up a theory you do not agree with, support your claim with empirical data. Only make snap judgments or conclusions with sufficient evidence. If so, provide proof to back up your claim. Focus on what fascinates them because your article must speak to the reader. Engage readers from the title through the bibliography.

• Have a good essay outline and structure

In addition to choosing the sequence of your arguments, ensure your essay is appropriately organized. A thorough article with a clear framework captures the interest of the reader. The writing process is also made simpler because everything is properly located.

An essay that is well structured will allow you to focus more intently than one that is hastily written. Such an essay (with poor planning) will likely overlook a few things. However, your chances of captivating your audience enhance when you have an essay framework. Thus, a well-structured essay is easy to read.

Why not begin with the body sections instead of the introductory like everyone else does? Your body paragraphs can be produced without the introduction because you have a working thesis. The writing process can be finished by developing the initial thesis into a final thesis depending on the justifications in the body sections, and then writing a captivating introduction. Once you have written your introduction, you may finish your essay by constructing a compelling conclusion that will leave your audience wanting to read more about it.

• Use simple vocabulary

Examining vocabulary is different from the purpose of essays. It is an opportunity to present evidence that backs up your viewpoints. To win your teacher over, use straightforward language. Simplicity is necessary for writing essays. Write clearly.

Make your instructor’s job easier by using clear language. They have no time to use a dictionary; and once they use one, you would annoy them and reduce their grades. Use simple language to communicate. The best writing is written in simple terms. Simple papers will do well when the proofs are given, organized, and flow smoothly.

• Use short and long sentences

Your audience should be impressed by every assignment you write. An essay is more readable when it combines both short and large sentences. Simple, understandable, and concise sentences make it simpler to navigate.

Although it can be tempting to utilize complex sentences occasionally, they are run-on or unclear sentences and should be avoided. You should not be concerned about this when writing. However, cut long sentences with sparse yet intricate vocabulary when editing the document. Once more, it becomes straightforward.

Understanding how to employ short sentences effectively is the key to brevity, coherence, accuracy, composition, and clarity. So, practice frequently and employ this strategy to succeed in your essays. With such skill, you may persuade even the most difficult professor to give you the finest grades.

• Balance your paragraphs

A perfect paragraph in an essay is equivalent to receiving an A+. Although majority of individuals struggle with it, it is not difficult.

Verify the coherence and cohesiveness of your topic sentences. When something is coherent, it has a good flow and a sense of unity. The transitions between your paragraphs should be smooth. A single order-related idea should be discussed in every paragraph.

Finally, the word count in each paragraph needs to be balanced. Remember that 80% of the word count comprises body paragraphs. Accordingly, the three body paragraphs should be spaced out to cover the same material if you are writing an essay of six paragraphs.

• Edit and format your essay correctly.

It is challenging to write. You could feel worn out once you are done because it demands reading, research, and critical thinking. If you format and revise the paper quickly, you will make mistakes. Planning an essay is crucial to allow time for editing and polishing.

Take a break, and then spend some time reading, editing, and formatting your essay objectively. Concentrate on punctuation, grammatical, stylistic, and organizational errors. Ensure that the fonts and font type are appropriate, as well as the spacing. Our essay editing service is available if you find the process time-consuming and exhausting. Once everything is in order, ensure your paper is original, and submit it before the due date.

Double spacing vs. Other Types of Spacing for Essays

You can space your school assignment using three types of spacing: single, 1.5, and double spacing. You should know the spacing type required when writing your school dissertation, research paper, annotated bibliography, report, or essay.

• Double Spaced Document or Paper

It is the most common type of spacing which involves selecting 2.0 spaces between paragraph lines without any other spaces between paragraphs. Most college assignments, theses, and dissertations are double-spaced.

• 1.5 Spaced Document or Essay

A 1.5-spaced paper has sentences or lines in a paragraph spaced from each other using 1.5 mm space and has no spaces between paragraphs.

• Single Spaced Document

Single spacing is typing that does not leave lines blank. A single-spaced document has a space of 1.0 between the lines in a paragraph, which creates little room for feedback, remarks, and comments. You should use single spacing only when the requirement says so.

However, whether your essay is on Mac or a word document, you can change the spacing of your paper to different spacing styles any time you need.

Pages vs. Spacing Chart

Below is a table that compares the number of pages and words to different spacing styles.

500 Word Example of a Double-Spaced Essay

There are many samples of double-spaced essays on the internet that will enable you to understand these essay types. Most of these samples have picture evidence, a format that helps your understanding. The double-spacing form is used mainly by book authors when sending a text to the publisher to allow enough spacing for error correction by the editors. The extra space allows the editor to make comments or remarks.

Also, students can use double spacing when writing their draft essays as it gives spaces for supervisors or teachers to comment and make remarks before a student can draft the final copy. For example, a student can use a double-spacing format for scientific text, which gives extra space to highlight any grammatical errors or minor flaws that need to be corrected.

Get a quality plagiarism free 500 words essay by using our AI powered essay generator .

Benefits of Double Spacing in Essays

The following are the advantages of using double spaces in your thesis.

• Creates space for crucial notes

Sometimes you may want to include important notes when taking an exam or writing an essay, but the notes cannot fit in your document body without making it look unprofessional. But with a double-spaced essay, there is enough space at the end of each paragraph where you can write end notes or footnotes without disturbing the flow of the reading.

• It makes your essay easy to read

A double-spaced essay means there are few words in a line. This makes it easy to read since you will not have to often move your eyes from one end of the page to the other. There are no line breaks in double-spaced lines to distract you from the flow of ideas, and it is easy to skim through the sentences.

• Help emphasize important points

It may be challenging to notice when you have repeated a phrase or word using single spacing, making the content look repetitive. However, double spacing creates more spaces between repeated texts and phrases such that they stand out more prominently.

• Reduces typos

Double-spaced punction marks such as commas and full stops are more visible than when single-spaced. It lets the reader know where a sentence starts or ends without rereading previous phrases or sentences. It is more crucial, especially if the reader is learning English, as they will see where there are commas and where sentences end, and also easy for proofreaders.

• It makes your writing look professional

Most readers want a document that is convenient and easy to read within a short period. Your writing skills should look professional and impress the reader at first glance. You can achieve this by double spacing, as it makes the document easy to read and creates an impression of professionalism.

Explore an example of a double spaced essay about how to tame a Wild Tongue – summary and response.

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How to Double Space Your Paper

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Double spacing refers to the amount of space that shows between the individual lines of your paper. When a paper is single-spaced, there is very little white space between the typed lines, which means there is no room for marks or comments. This is precisely why teachers ask you to double space. The white space between the lines leaves room for  editing marks  and comments.

Double spacing is the norm for essay assignments, so if you are in doubt about expectations, you should format your paper with double spacing. Only use a single space if the teacher asks explicitly for it. 

Don't worry if you've already typed your paper and you now realize that your spacing is wrong. You can change spacing and other types of formatting easily and at any time in the writing process. But the way to go about these changes will differ, depending on the word processing program you're using.

Microsoft Word

If you are working in Microsoft Word 2010, you should follow these steps to set up double-spacing.

• Select (highlight) text if you have already typed some lines. If not, go to the next step.
• Click on the Page Layout tab.
• Go to the Paragraph section. You will see a small arrow in the bottom left corner.
• Click on the arrow to bring up a new window.
• Select the Indents and Spacing tab (it is probably already open).
• Find the Line spacing menu and select double from the list. Then select OK .

Other versions of Microsoft Word will use a similar process and the same wording.

Pages (Mac)

 If you're using the Pages word processor on a mac, you can double-space your paper following these instructions: 

• First highlight text, if you have already typed some lines
• Click on  Inspector , which is a blue button on the top right of your window
• When a new window opens, select the  Text  tab which is a large "T"
• Find the section labeled  Spacing  and type  2  into the box to the right of the slide bar
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How to Double Space in Word

Last Updated: August 25, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 44 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 836,176 times. Learn more...

Changing the line spacing can make a Word document easier to read and make notes on when printed. Follow this guide to change the spacing in any version of Word, regardless of your operating system.

Word 2016/2013/Office 365

• To double-space a specific area of text, highlight the text, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button on the Home tab (4 horizontal lines with two blue arrows), then select 2.0.

Word 2007/2010

• If you don’t see the line spacing button, it is most likely missing because the window isn’t large enough. You can access it by clicking the arrow button next to the word Paragraph. This will open the Paragraph menu.
• In the Paragraph menu, you can adjust the line spacing using the Line Spacing dropdown menu from the Spacing section.

• Before will add space before the paragraph begins.
• After will add spacing every time you press Enter to start a new paragraph.

• ”Exactly” will allow you to set an exact spacing between lines, measured in points. There are 72 points to an inch.
• ”Multiple” will allow you to set larger spacing, such as triple spacing.

• You can change the spacing of the entire document by selecting all of the text and then adjusting the spacing settings. To quickly select all of the text Press Ctrl + A (PC) or ⌘ Command + A (Mac). This will not affect headers, footers, or text boxes. You will need to select these sections individually to change the spacing in them.

• Select all the text you wish to change the spacing of.
• Press Ctrl + 2 (PC) or ⌘ Command + 2 (Mac). This will give you double spacing.
• Press Ctrl + 5 (PC) or ⌘ Command + 5 (Mac). This will give you 1.5-line spacing.
• Press Ctrl + 1 (PC) or ⌘ Command + 1 (Mac). This will give you single spacing.

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Double-Spaced Essay: The Complete Guide to Writing Like a Pro

If you’re new to writing double-spaced essays or simply need a refresher, this guide is for you. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of double spacing, when to use it, steps to writing a double-spaced essay, tips, and tricks, examples of double-spaced essays, common mistakes to avoid, and more.

Understanding Double Spacing

What is double spacing.

Double spacing is adding extra space between lines of text in a document. This means a blank line will follow every line of text in your essay. Double spacing is commonly used in academic , business, and creative writing.

When to Use Double Spacing

Double spacing in academic writing.

Most academic institutions require double spacing for essays, research papers , and other assignments. Double spacing makes it easier for the reader to understand your text. It also makes it easier for the instructor to provide feedback and corrections.

Double Spacing in Business Writing

Double spacing is also commonly used in business writing . Reports, proposals, and other documents that are intended for professional use should be double-spaced. This makes the text easier to read and improves the overall appearance of the document .

Double Spacing in Creative Writing

Double spacing is not as common in creative writing as in academic and business writing. However, some creative writing instructors may require double spacing for assignments. Double spacing can help to make the text easier to read and can also make it easier to edit and revise.

Steps to Writing a Double-Spaced Essay

Pre-writing, understanding the assignment:.

Before you start writing, ensure you understand the assignment . Read the instructions carefully and note any requirements regarding length, formatting, and other essential details.

Research and Brainstorming

Once you understand the assignment, it’s time to start researching and brainstorming. Take some time to gather information on the topic and organize your thoughts. This will help you to create a clear and concise essay .

Outline and Thesis Statement

Once you understand the topic, create an outline and thesis statement . The outline will serve as a roadmap for your essay, while the thesis statement will provide a clear and concise summary of your argument.

Introduction and Body Paragraphs

Once you have your outline and thesis statement, it’s time to start writing. Begin with an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and provides background information . Next, write the body paragraphs, using clear and concise language to support your argument.

Conclusion and Works Cited Page

Once you’ve written the body of your essay, it’s time to wrap things up with a conclusion. The conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis in a new way. Finally, include a work cited page that lists all of your sources.

Revising and Editing

After you’ve written your essay, take some time to revise and edit it. Look for areas where you can improve clarity or organization and fix grammatical or spelling errors .

Tips and Tricks for Writing a Double-Spaced Essay

Formatting tips, font and margins.

When writing a double-spaced essay, choosing an appropriate

font and set the margins correctly is essential. Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri are popular font choices for academic writing. The recommended margin size is one inch on all sides.

Line Spacing

Set the line spacing to double spacing in your word processor. This will ensure one blank line between each line of text in your essay .

Writing Tips

Use clear and concise language.

When writing a double-spaced essay, it’s essential to use clear and concise language. Avoid using unnecessary words or phrases that make your writing confusing or difficult to understand.

Use Paragraphs

Break up your essay into paragraphs to make it easier to read. Each paragraph should focus on a specific point or idea and be separated by a blank line.

Proofread Your Essay

Before submitting your essay, make sure to proofread it carefully. Look for spelling or grammar errors, and ensure your essay is well-organized and easy to follow.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not double spacing.

One of the most common mistakes when writing a double-spaced essay is forgetting to double-space. Make sure to set the line spacing to double spacing in your word processor.

Using the Wrong Font or Margin Size

Using the wrong font or margin size can make your essay look unprofessional. Stick to the recommended font and margin size to ensure your essay looks clean and polished.

Not Proofreading Your Essay

Q: What is the best way to format an essay?

A: The best way to format an essay will depend on the assignment’s instructions. In general, you should use a standard font, such as Times New Roman, and a font size of 12 points. Double spacing is usually preferred, along with 1-inch margins all around. Including a header with your name, the date, and the assignment’s title or number is also a good idea.

Q: Why do teachers want double-spaced essays?

A: Teachers often require double-spaced essays because it makes them easier to read and allows for comments to be added between the lines. Double spacing also provides room for the teacher to make edits and corrections . It can also help with grading since double spacing makes the text less dense and easier to read.

Q: How do you place double spaces between words in MS Word?

A: To double space in MS Word, highlight the text you want to double space, right-click on the text, and select “Paragraph.” In the “Line spacing” drop-down menu, select “Double.” You can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+2” to double-space.

Q: How can I edit my essay faster?

A: To edit your essay faster, try reading through the entire essay first to get a sense of the overall structure and argument . Then, focus on one aspect, such as grammar or content. Use abbreviations or symbols to denote common errors, such as “sp” for spelling mistakes or “frag” for sentence fragments. Finally, consider using a rubric or grading template to help standardize the grading process.

Q: How do you write a good introduction?

A: A good introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide context for the rest of the essay. Start with a hook, such as a surprising statistic or a thought-provoking question, and then provide background information. Finally, end the introduction with a clear thesis statement that outlines the essay’s main argument.

Q: What are things you should avoid when writing an essay?

A: When writing an essay, it’s essential to avoid common mistakes such as plagiarism, vague language, and poor grammar. You should also avoid using informal language, slang, and contractions. Additionally, it’s crucial to stay on topic and avoid going off on tangents that are not relevant to the main argument. Finally, don’t forget to proofread and edit your essay for mistakes and clarity.

Q: How can I master my essay?

A: To master your essay writing skills, practice is key. Read widely, pay attention to structure and style, and practice writing on various topics. Seek feedback from others, such as teachers or peers, to help identify areas for improvement. Consider taking a writing course or workshop to develop your skills further.

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How-To Geek

How to double-space on google docs.

Following APA guidelines? Then you'll need to double-space that text.

Quick Links

Table of contents, how to double-space the current google doc, how to set "double space" as the default.

If you're writing an essay using the APA guidelines , your text will need to be double-spaced. You can apply double-spacing to text in Google Docs (and save it as the default style) in just a few clicks.

To apply double-spacing to the text in your current Google Docs document, first, select the text. You can do this by clicking and dragging your cursor over the text. To quickly select all text, use the "Ctrl+A" ("Command+A" on Mac) keyboard shortcut.

The text is highlighted blue when selected.

Next, click the "Line Spacing" icon (an arrow and three lines) in the toolbar.

In the drop-down menu that appears, click "Double."

The selected text is now double-spaced.

Related: The Beginner's Guide to Google Docs

If you frequently use double-spaced line spacing, you can set it as the default style for new documents in Google Docs. To do so, open a Google Doc file that already has double-spacing applied, or go ahead and apply it now .

Next, click "Format" in the menu bar.

A drop-down menu will appear. Hover your cursor over the "Paragraph Styles" option. A sub-menu will appear. Hover your cursor over "Options" at the bottom of the menu.

Another sub-menu will appear. Here, click "Save as my Default Styles."

Now, when you create a new document in Google Docs, the default line spacing will be double-spaced. For documents that already exist, however, you'll need to manually apply double-spacing.

That's all there is to it. Whether for an essay in APA style, for a teacher who insists on double-spacing, or for personal preference alone, your document is now double-spaced. All that's left to do now is share it !

Related: How to Share Links to Your Google Doc as a PDF

How to Double Space a Word Document

Double spacing your text can make it more legible. Let's look at the different ways to set double spacing in Word.

This article explains how to double space lines, paragraphs, and the entire document in Microsoft Word. There are four ways to double space lines in Microsoft Word. You can use any of these options to modify a few lines or the entire document in Word.

Double Space Lines From the Home Tab

This is the quickest way to double-space your document. You can use this when you want to add double spaces for only part of the document. Select the paragraphs you want to change and follow the steps below.

• Open Microsoft Word.
• Go to the Home > Paragraph group > Select the Line and Paragraph Spacing icon.
• To double space lines, choose 2.0 from the dropdown.
• For more spacing options, select Line Spacing Options in the list.

Double Space Between Paragraphs From the Design Tab

Modify the vertical space between paragraphs in your document by setting the spacing before or after each paragraph. Do note that this applies spacing throughout your entire document and also affects line spacing. It gives you less scope to control line spacing than the other methods here.

• Go to Design > Paragraph Spacing and choose Double .

Double Space Lines From the Page Layout Tab

Use this option to set up double spaced lines before you start adding content to your document. The settings here allow you to finetune your text with other options.

• Go to the Page Layout tab.
• Go to the Paragraph group. Click the tiny down arrow in the bottom right corner to bring up the Paragraph settings dialog.
• Stay on the Indents and Spacing tab.
• Click the down arrow next to the Line spacing box.
• Select Double and click the OK button to exit the dialog box.

Double Space Lines With Styles

Do you write double spaced essays? You can save this as a special style in Word for only essays or modify an existing style.

• Go to the Home > Styles group . Right-click Normal .
• Select Modify from the drop-down menu.
• Under Formatting , click the Double Space button.

What Does Double Spaced Lines Mean?

Line spacing is nothing but the height of the space between each row of text. A double space means sentences will have a blank line equal to the full height of two lines of text between each line. By default, most word processors have single spacing enabled (or slightly more than single spacing), which is space that’s just one line high. Word has a default line spacing of 1.08 .

Line spacing is an important style consideration and just one of the ways to format your text for better legibility.

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How to Write a Double Spaced Essay: Full Guide with Examples

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Double spacing is an editing method that refers to the space between the lines of your essay. The tutor will ask the student to double space to add the comments and editing marks.

Double spacing happens to be the norm in essay writing. The student can change the spacing depending on the word processing programs. They could be Microsoft word or the Mac’s Pages word-processing programs.

What is a Double Spaced Essay?

A double-spaced essay is where the author formatted it using the double space between the lines and the paragraphs. Ideally, a double-spaced essay contains between 275 and 300 words per page depending on the font. The format becomes useful to the tutor as he will have a chance to make some corrections within what they provided in the space.

A double-spaced essay can carry 275 words per page.

It all depends on the page margins where you are placing your text.

Suppose your page is of standard size, then the words will increase naturally.

When you are using an A4-sized page, then the same essay may contain fewer words.

Notably, the author can write as many words as he may desire. The only limit could be your ability. The shortest essay could range between 500 and 1000 words. However, any essayist could write thousands of words to expound on the provided topic.

The standard font for a double-spaced essay should be 12. Such empowers the writer to create at least 200 words for each page. When you are writing using this 12 point font, it makes the paragraphs to be understandable.

The college can penalize the student if he failed to stick to the instructions. As such, it is vital to work with 12 points when you are writing an essay.

When you are writing the essay, you can use any font type unless indicated in the instructions. If unsure, then you can select the Home tab as you click on the correct font icon.

Why Double Space?

We do double spacing to meet the requirements of the checker. Again double spacing is necessary to allow the teacher to comment on the feedback while evaluating the essay.

The essay should meet the desires of the reader and not the writer. You can read more about writing good essays on the guide about the contents and the structure.

Difference between Single and Double Spaced Essays

The double-spaced document involves creating additional space between the paragraphs. Such a format will feature two spaces where the writer will have to press the Enter button twice. The added space allows the teacher to make changes and other remarks.

A single-spaced paper is where there is little white space between the paragraphs. For this case, the tutor can also give instructions to students to use that format when writing a particular essay. The author only presses the Enter button once.

How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay

Whether writing a narrative report or an essay for your school, you should select a line for spacing your work. The double spacing design becomes great as it makes it easier for the author to get the flow of the text.

One can double-space the work by making the correct parameters for the selected text or the entire document. Several words processing documents exist to help you double space your work, as indicated in the following examples.

Double Spacing in MS Word

Begin by opening the document that you are working with. It could be either a blank document or having some needs text in it.

• You can now create a default document to enable the whole document to stay double spaced by following the simple procedure as
• Locate the toolbar and select the styles.
• Right-click on the Normal on the Home tab
• Click on modify on the pop-up menu.
• Select the Formatting prompt and choose the Double spaced button.
• Choose OK to activate the Double spacing design.
• Create a space within your document where you desire to double space.
• Highlight the text you desire to double space.
• Click on Paragraph spacing and Line.
• Chose option 2.0 to double space the highlighted space.

How to Spice up Double-Spacing your essay

One can make the essay remain engaging and interesting by double spacing it. Some of the things that could make it appealing are as follows:

a) Using Short Sentences

The purpose of essay writing is to impress the reader. As the research study indicates, you should use short sentences to make your essay more readable. The reason behind short sentences is that they are easy to understand.

It could be tempting if you settled on using large and complex vocabularies in your essay construction. In practice, complex sentences make it hard for the reader to enjoy the flow.

The secret is writing short and meaningful sentences and comes up with some charming lines. This is one of the recommended ways to become a better essay writer because you present your points in precise sentences.

b) Use Ordinary Words

The reader’s nature is that they appreciate small and ordinary words. Another thing is that the readers do not like to be exposed as having a vocabulary problem. You can make it more appealing by using simple common words.

The reader will be interested in the article if it carries the common words that they understand without any struggle. Such an engaging document will bring desirable outcomes.

c) Structure Your Essay Properly

A well-structured essay should arouse the interest of the reader. Precisely, a well-structured essay is ever reader-friendly. The author should make the content to be in the right structure. Follow simple steps to ensure that your essay remains in the proper structure.

For example, you should begin with the introduction but other content in the body and make your conclusion.

Such carries a standard format of organizing your work in an engaging manner.

Suppose your essay is talking about what history is all about, then you should write what comes up first.

End with what came last to ensure you are achieving proper structure.

d) Be Factual When Substantiating Your Claims

The most common mistake that the essayist make is writing what they only believe. The correct format is to substantiate those arguments with facts.

Never leave out empirical evidence because you do not believe in it. Such could make it easy to be undesirable. Also, avoid saturating the points facts that appear too odd.

The writer should also be keen never to jump to conclusions.  Let the author present the point backed by utmost research and weight.

The essay should address what the reader should find interesting. For that matter, make strong arguments for increasing your authority as a writer.

e) Keep Your Essay Relevant

Suppose your essay lacks relevancy, then it may fail to score better marks. An irrelevant essay means that it lacks sense in the common application. You can increase its relevancy by writing hot topics.

When you complete your essay, ensure you proofread it to fine-tune it from any deviations and errors. Become your first judge. Such tactics make you improve your writing as you move on.

You can retain your authority over the topic by sticking with the right facts. At that point, you will make any reader get glued to your piece.

f) Choose Hot Topics

The purpose of writing an essay is to engage the reader. The essay could fail to be interesting if you are writing on a boring old topic. The challenge lies in selecting the hot topic.

The writer should be careful in selecting the right topic. It calls for doing enough research to come up with the right topic of study. When unsure, then you can seek guidance from your faculty to know the correct topic to research and craft the essay about.

How to double space or change line spacing in Microsoft Word

When typing in Microsoft Word , you might need to change the line spacing, depending on the document's style. The steps to enable double spacing differ slightly between versions. Consequently, you may need to use intuition to adapt them for older versions.

Use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + 1 to single space, Ctrl + 2 to double space, or Ctrl + 5 to set the spacing to 1.5 line spacing on any line, paragraph, or all highlighted text.

When pressing Enter , it starts a new paragraph with extra space between the two paragraphs. To go to the next line without starting a new paragraph, press Ctrl + Enter .

To increase or decrease line spacing or enable double spacing, select a link below and follow the steps.

• Enable double spacing for the whole document.
• Modify line spacing for all or part of an existing document.
• Related information.

Enable double spacing for the whole document

Microsoft word 2016 and later (office 365), and word online.

• Open Microsoft Word.

• Select the desired spacing option from the available list.
• For additional spacing options, select Line Spacing Options in the list.

Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013

• On the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click Normal .
• Select Modify from the drop-down menu .
• Under Formatting , click the Double Space button (shown below).

• Click the Page Layout tab.
• Click the down arrow in the bottom right corner next to Paragraph to bring up the Paragraph window.

• In the Paragraph window, make sure you are on the Indents and Spacing tab.

• Click the down arrow next to the Line spacing box.
• Select Double and click the OK button.

Modify line spacing for all or part of an existing document

Microsoft word 2007 and later.

• Open Microsoft Word and the document you want to modify.
• Highlight the text where you want to change the line spacing or select all .
• Right-click the highlighted text, and select Format and then Paragraph , or only Paragraph or Paragraph Options , depending on your version of Word.

• Click the down arrow in the Line spacing drop-down box.

Related information

• See the double space definition for further information and related links.
• Microsoft Word help and support.

How to Write a Double Spaced Essay

Without rules, writing would not make meaning and the message within the content would be difficult to understand. What constitutes content are letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, punctuations, images, and visuals. Each field has its unique set of rules that govern writing styles and define guidelines for spacing, citation, fonts, and illustrations.

In the academic field and various citation writing formats, double spacing is a common rule. Academics believe it helps make an academic paper look neat and easy to read. The double-spaced essay rule is used in essay assignments in high schools and universities.

What is a Double Spaced Essay?

The term double spaced essay should not scare you or make you worry about how it is done. Our expert writers at write my essay service have created a comprehensive guide to explain what does double spaced means and the steps to follow to create a high-quality double spaced essay.

The term simply means using double spaces from one line to the next when writing an essay. Note double spacing is not done between words but between lines. Most academics prefer this style of essay writing because it's easy to read or make comments in between the spaces.

A lecturer at the university can easily write some advice between the lines and assist a student whom they notice has some difficulty writing. A student can also easily read and understand recommendations made by a teacher on a specific paragraph.

Why Double Space?

Professional essay service do help if you are not sure how to write a double spaced essay or if time is an issue. The rule of double spacing is not only applicable to students but also to professionals in certain fields especially fields that do intensive research and reports for publishing in journals.

The primary reason why double spacing is required in academic writing is to make comments. Usually, a blank line is left in between lines so that the reader can make comments there. If the essay is written in a single space, it would be hard to write comments because the paper would look untidy.

The only option the lecturer will have is to write comments on a separate page which might make it impossible for a student to understand which comment goes to which place. The double spacing rule helps make it possible to write in between lines.

Another advantage of a double spaced essay is tidiness. The essay will look tidy and it will be readable. These are the reasons why institutions of learning have made double spacing a standard format for all academic institutions globally. Failure to follow the rule can lead to disqualification of your paper or poor grades.

Single VS Double Spaced Essays

There are several differences between single and double spaced essay although the main one is spacing. The word spacing refers to the distance between one line to the next. When you write an essay using the single spacing rule, the space between each line will be smaller. If the teacher wants to write a comment, it becomes hard because there is no space.

Usually, single spacing is set at 1.0 to a maximum of 1.5. If the spacing goes to 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0, that is double spacing but the standard way for double spaced writing is 2.0. According to readability tests done by academic professionals, the ideal font for best readability should be spaced between 130 to 150 percent.

According to professionals, texts can be spaced up to 200 percent to improve readability. Their standard recommendation is 140 percent. Having understood what does double spaced means, it's easier to know how to write a Double-Spaced Essay.

How to Write a Double-Spaced Essay

Whether your paper is single spaced or double spaced, you must make it interesting to the reader by writing a well-researched paper from the most recent information available. You should follow the same structure for writing a single-spaced essay while following the double-spacing rule.

To make your double spaced paper more interesting, avoid long sentences. If you write too long sentences, it might be impossible to understand the message in it because the reader has no space to pause. Your teacher might easily get bored by long sentences and probably stop reading your essay. Shorter sentences are easier to read and easy to understand the message.

Double spaced essay look like it is well structured and thus informative. An essay structure matters to the reader because they want text that is attractive and easy to read. If you have a challenge with some vocabularies, avoid them and use simpler words that will make the flow of your essay smooth.

If you want to write a double space paper, the best program to use is MS. Word because it has features to help you set the spacing. You may decide to set the entire paper in double space or just a portion of it.

Double spaced essays reach a word count of between 250 words to 300 words per page. That means, if your paper is required to be 3 pages, you will write between 750 to 900 words. Some double spaced essays might be longer but a 3-page essay is common in academic writing. Unless instructed otherwise by your teacher, take three pages as the standard page count for a double spaced essay although you can write as many words as you wish.

You should also learn to know the most common double spaced essay format used by most colleges. Many colleges set rules for students to use MLA format in their writing. Highlight your essay by pressing Ctrl +A .

At the top left corner, click on the home tab. The most commonly used font for essay writing is Arial 12 . Click on font type and select Arial then sect font size and select 12. The shortcut for it is Ctrl –Shift – P .

The other point to consider when learning how to double space an essay is that there is a difference between line spacing and paragraph spacing. What you double space are the lines in a paragraph but not paragraph to paragraph. Use double spacing only between lines but when breaking paragraphs, headings, and subheads, increase spacing to differentiate between one paragraph to the other.

There are tips to help your double spaced essay looker smarter. Choose the most trending topics that are interesting to the reader. A boring topic might make the reader fail to read your paper. Avoid using content that is not relevant to your essay topic. Every point should be discussed focusing on the topic.

Double Spacing in MS Word

You might wonder what is double spaced in word but it simply means the same as discussed in this article. It means to create double spaces between the line of one sentence to the next. In MS word , this action is easy to perform and you can do it on your computer. You may check online for an example of double spaced paper but this paper is a good example.

Mostly, the default spacing in MS word is 1.0 or 1.5 at most. If your MS word has automatically set its default at 1.0, double spacing to you will mean 2.0. If the default spacing is at 1.50., your double spacing will be 3.0. This is the general rule but the common rule given by teachers is 2.0 for double spacing.

If you want to manually set double spacing on your MS word, select your entire document first. Go to the home tab and once you click on it, it will open a menu with so many features such as copy, paste, bullets, style, etc. Near to the top left, click on the font type menu and select Arial. Select the font size menu next to it and select 12.

You have already set your font and now you want to set the spacing parameters next. Highlight the entire document and below the menu marked Review, check a feature with two arrows running the opposite of each other.

Click on that feature to open the line spacing and paragraph menu. Select the 2.0 option and the window will close. Your document is already set at double space. You have created double spaced paragraphs but you must format your paper to separate one paragraph from the next.

A double spaced essay is one of the common types of essay assigned to students in schools and colleges. Its rule requires spacing to be set at 2.0 unless specifically instructed otherwise by the teacher. Although the double spacing is the general rule, there should a distinction between one paragraph to the next. Sometimes you might lack time to write your essay because you have a lot of work to handle. The secret to writing a winning paper is to buy an essay from our writing service.

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Double Spaced Essay Example & PRO Tips

Table of Contents

That is, this method is used everywhere where changes will be made by the person who will check this. If you use simple tips, then many teachers advise making a space with two different fingers (like two strokes on two different keys).

When a student prints a document, he may make a mistake and the gap may turn out to be single. Of course, you can add extra space later if you missed it. But this will be additional work and additional time, especially if your work will have a large volume of pages.

What is a Double Spaced Essay?

If you are writing such a paper at first, then you are looking for the answer to the question of what is a double spaced essay. This is a specific format for the design of your document that involves adding extra place between paragraphs. Each text has logical paragraphs that are most often separated by a single space (that is, one click of the Enter button).

This format will have two spaces, that is, you will need to press the Enter button twice. It will add more places between paragraphs where the teacher or another reviewer could make changes. Some types of papers need corrections which then would be corrected by the writer. Such additional spaces allow the reviewer to add edits by hand.

For the first time, such a method was used in school essays where teachers could not find a place for edits and wrote it on a side (a separate place with fields). Then the handwritten texts were transferred to electronic versions and there were fewer places for editing. The space between paragraphs sometimes allows writing a voluminous explanation of the error and it is very convenient. You can open examples of such papers to see this format. It would be very useful for you to understand the double spaced essay meaning.

Double Spaced Essay Format

If you have already understood what does a double spaced essay look like, now you need to learn how to do this formatting after completing the writing of the document. Extra space can be a very important condition for your assignment.

Any student is not sure of the correct writing of the essay and any paper may have errors. The teacher indicates such a condition to get additional space for making corrections and comments. But many students forget about this condition when they start writing a paper.

Additional space can be added after writing the text even if your document has more than 50 or 100 pages. It is important to know the functions of the program where you wrote your paper. Now, the most popular tool is Word (all its versions). But also some texts were written using this program on Mac.

For the Word (Microsoft version 2010):

• You need to select (highlight) the text.
• Then open the function of Page Layout (at the top).
• Find there a section called “Paragraph”.
• At the bottom, there would be a small black arrow (it is in the lower-left corner).
• Press on this small arrow to open a new window.
• Then you need to open the “Intervals and indents” function (it can be already opened).
• Then choose “Line spacing” (this is located in the double-list section).
• Click OK (to confirm and save your actions).

The instructions for Word (Mac version) will be as follows:

• Select a few required lines or select all the text.
• In the upper right corner, there is an Inspector (this is a blue button).
• After clicking on the Inspector, you will open a new window.
• Find there a section called “Text” (it will be a big “T”).
• Then click on the Interval function.
• Enter the number 2 in the value (this would be located on the right side of the selection bar).

500-word Example of a Double Spaced Essay

If you want to understand what a double spaced essay example is, then look for such samples on the Internet. Many sites will show you not only an example of texts with such a design but will also present a detailed format in the form of a picture. This formatting is often used for book publishers when the author sends the text to the publisher. Not all writers write texts correctly. Sometimes, many errors can be corrected by the editor or sent to the author for correction. The extra space helps give the editor more places to make adjustments and necessary notes.

Also, such a space is necessary for making corrections to the thesis which are written by students before the verification test. Teachers make edits that would be finalized by the student as soon as possible before the final test. This work can be called a draft. You can see the double space format for scientific texts. There may be minor flaws or grammatical errors that should also be corrected by the author. If you find examples of such texts, then you can understand the features and advantages of this type of formatting.

Many teachers tell students what is a double spaced essay. This helps them to see this with a concrete example. Additional space can be installed between paragraphs of a certain size (no more than 5-7 sentences). This would be convenient not only for reading but also for adjusting individual semantic passages of the common paper. Teachers may be asked to do this formatting in the term paper so that students know about it and make double space in the thesis later.

Double Spaced Essay Service

If you understand the main meaning of double spaced essay format , then you can understand the main pros and cons of this style. It will be quite simple than that you will use the instruction to your type of program for writing text. The main advantage of this format is the opportunity for the reviewer to get more space for convenient corrections. The minus of double space is an increase in the overall size of the text (there would be more pages because the text will become wider). For many modern students, additional pages will be a great solution if they do not have enough text to the right amount.

Our goal is to give you more free time but to get a good mark in the result. Our company creates all the necessary conditions for each client to get a quality result. Placing an order will be very quick – fill out an application and we will find the right expert for you in a couple of minutes. Discuss with him all the details of your work and set a time frame. Our experts work even with very urgent papers because we appreciate your time.

Need More Help With a Double Spaced Essay Writing?

If the student does not have enough time to format or write text with double space, then our company will help to do this in the shortest possible time. Our team has more than 2000 experienced writers who write papers of different directions, disciplines, and styles. We can also write your work from scratch or make adjustments to the prepared text. If the work of our client is already ready but there was not enough time to do a double spaced essay, then our writer will help with this type of formatting.

Our company took first place among such resources because the quality of our work is always at the highest level. Each of our writers is an experienced professional who has the necessary education in a certain direction. We don’t care about the discipline or complexity of the paper — we can write any text. Among our works, there are not only term papers or essays but also diplomas and scientific projects. We understand that modern students have little time to write such a paper. Family or work can distract them.

We will give your more free time for your affairs and in the horse you will get an excellent text with all the necessary conditions for writing this. You can also send us work if the teacher makes additional edits. Leave your request here and get more free hours for more enjoyable things. The prices of our services are very affordable; this fully corresponds to the high quality of our work and fast time of writing.

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