How to make your essay look longer than it really is

You are tasked with writing an essay, and the deadline is fast approaching, but you still have a lot to write in order to meet the required page count. Many students find themselves in this situation. Fortunately, there are a few tricks to make your essay appear longer. Increasing the font size, extending the top header, and exaggerating the line spacing are some tactics to stretch your essay. However, keep in mind that not following your teacher's guidelines could result in a lower grade.

Choose a slightly larger font. If the teacher hasn’t specified the font type, opt for a larger font such as Arial, Courier New, Bangla Sangam MN, or Cambria. If only Times New Roman is allowed, consider using a similar font in a larger size, like Bookman Old Style.

• Avoid selecting fonts that are too large, such as Arial Black or Lucida Handwriting. Your teacher will notice that you’re trying to make your essay appear longer if you use overly large fonts.

Adjust the font size. Teachers typically require a 12pt font size. To make your essay appear longer, you should increase the font size to 12.1, 12.3, or even 12.5. Assess which size will make the most noticeable difference without being too obvious.

Increase the size of periods and commas. Hold down Ctrl + F on your keyboard. This key combination opens the find/replace function. Select all periods and commas set at 12pt size. Replace them with periods and commas at 14pt size.

Increase the line spacing. If the teacher requests single or double spacing, increase it by 0.1. Click on “Format” and then “Paragraph.” Under “Line Spacing,” select “Multiple.” Enter 2.1 or 1.1 in the box under the “At” field.

Increase the right margin by 1/4 inch. If the teacher requires a 1-inch margin, you can extend the right margin to 1.25 inches. Click “Format” and then “Document.” In the box next to “Right,” enter 1.25. A 1/4 inch margin increase (or less) usually doesn’t create a noticeable difference.

• If the increase is too obvious, you may want to choose 1.15 or 1.1 inches.
• Since the text is justified, avoid increasing the left margin. Changing the left margin will create a noticeable difference and might be caught by your teacher.

Increase the bottom margin by 1/4 inch. Click on “Format” and then “Document.” In the box next to “Bottom,” enter 1.25. If this change makes too obvious a difference, consider choosing 1.15 or 1.2 inches. Adjusting the bottom margin is an effective strategy to make your essay appear longer without being noticed by the teacher.

Increase the spacing between characters. Expanding the space between words is another way to make your essay appear longer. Select the section of text you wish to extend. Click on “Font” and then “Advanced.” Choose “Expanded” next to “Spacing,” then enter 1.5 in the box next to “By.”

Extend the header content. You can expand the header by adding your name, the date, course name and code, professor’s name, email address, or student ID. Include any relevant information to make the header take up more space. It’s also a good idea to double the line spacing in the header.

Place the essay title on a separate line below the header. Center the title on the page, bold it, and increase the font size to 14. Don’t forget to double the space between the title and the header, as well as the space between the title and the introduction paragraph.

Number the footer. Click on “Insert” and select “Page Numbers.” Choose “Bottom of Page” under “Position.” This action will insert page numbers at the bottom of each page, which will increase the overall length of your essay.

Write out numbers smaller than 10. For example, write 'one' or 'two' instead of using numerical digits. Not only will your essay appear longer, but it will also seem more professional, as this is a convention in formal writing.

Avoid contractions (for English writing). Instead of writing “it’s,” write “it is.” Rather than “can't,” use “cannot.” Always write out the full form whenever possible to lengthen your essay. It will also give your essay a more professional appearance.

Minimize the use of pronouns. Whenever possible, replace pronouns with specific names. Instead of writing “they,” write “Tuấn, Lan, and Dũng.” However, use pronouns if writing out full names becomes excessively long-winded. Using full names can make the writing difficult to read and decrease the overall quality of the essay.

Include supporting information. Adding quotes, personal experiences, and elaborating on studies are strategies to extend your essay. However, the supporting information must be relevant and reinforce the argument you’re making.

• Additionally, if you wish to cite or explain studies and documents, ensure that your citations are correct. These citations can help lengthen your essay.

Ensure each paragraph has a topic sentence and a concluding sentence. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly states your point. Provide evidence to support this argument, then finish the paragraph with a summary or restatement of your main idea.

Be as detailed as possible in your descriptions. Rather than saying “The red painting,” describe it as “A stunning piece of art filled with vibrant and warm hues such as red, brown, and mahogany.” Not only does this extend the length of your essay, but it also gives the impression that you are truly passionate about the topic.

• However, be cautious about over-describing when it’s unnecessary, as this can make the essay feel overly verbose or cumbersome.

Extend your conclusion. The conclusion doesn’t have to be confined to just one paragraph. Start with a paragraph that summarizes the entire essay’s content. Follow it up with a second paragraph to share your final thoughts on the topic and discuss how the idea can be applied to real-life situations beyond the essay’s context.

• Copy and paste your essay into a new document, apply the changes to this new version. Then, compare the new essay with the previous version and remove any changes that are too obvious.
• Use longer synonyms in place of short words.
• Avoid abbreviations. For instance, write ‘The Socialist Republic of Vietnam’ instead of ‘SRV’.

• You should be aware that failing to follow the teacher’s guidelines may be considered cheating, and you could receive a low grade or even fail.
• Avoid being overly wordy with unnecessary phrases.