Countdown of the top tips to make your essay longer.

With finals season finally here, we could all benefit from a little boost to our page count. Here are some of the top ways to lengthen an essay without crushing your last functioning brain cell.

7. Contractions

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Contractions are generally frowned upon when it comes to formal essay writing. Lucky for us, they also add a bit of length to an essay. Sometimes writing out a contraction can be the difference in bumping a paragraph into an extra line.

6. Spell Out Numbers

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If you’re looking for a way to make some minor adjustments to the length of your essay, writing numbers out can be an easy fix. Technically speaking, there are varying opinions on when it’s proper to use words for larger numbers. If the number is something lengthy like 1,467, using words is probably not the best option; however any number that can be spelled out in 1-2 words is fair game. For example, two-hundred or forty-five.

5. Rework Your Intro and Conclusion

After finishing your essay, you might find that you added points into the body that you neglected to reference in your introduction. As you look into your intro, you’ll also be able to add some points to your conclusion.

4. Quotes

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Who doesn’t love upping their word count by using someone else’s words. Using quotes not only adds to the depth of your paper, it can also add to length of it as well.

3. Font

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There are multiple fonts that can add to the length of your essay while also looking professional. Bookman Old Style is commonly known for making a paper longer. If you’re interested in going the extra mile, you can even download the font “Times Newer Roman,” which was specifically created to look just like Times New Roman while adding a bit of length to your paper.

***DISCLAIMER: Only do this if your professor has not specified what font you can or cannot use.

2. Spacing and Font Enlargement

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This trick is an oldie but a goodie, however you have to be reserved when making these adjustments. Changing your font a full size is likely to raise some questions, but 12.2 pt font or 2.1 pt. Line spacing could be all you need to add the right amount of length to your essay.

***DISCLAIMER: Only do this if your professor has not specified font size or spacing.

1 Period Size

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If you’re worried that font adjustments and line spacing might be too obvious, then the period trick might be your best bet. Using the find/replace function you can replace each period in your essay with a period of a larger font. This trick can easily add a half a page to a 3-4 page paper.

***DISCLAIMER: Only do this if your professor has not specified what period size you can use.

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