Writing length guides

How many words is a novel?

Most adult novels run 70,000–100,000 words, but the right target depends heavily on genre.

How many words should an essay be?

A typical high-school essay runs 500–1,000 words; college essays usually run 1,500–5,000. The assignment brief always wins.

How many words is a chapter?

Most novel chapters run 1,500–5,000 words, with 3,000–4,000 the sweet spot in commercial fiction.

What is the average reading speed?

Adults silently read non-fiction at roughly 240 words per minute; reading aloud runs about 150–160 wpm.

How many words is a 5-minute speech?

At a natural speaking pace of 130–150 words per minute, a 5-minute speech runs 650–750 words.

How long should a paragraph be?

Most well-edited prose averages 3–5 sentences (about 75–150 words) per paragraph — but the medium changes the rule.

Character limits: every platform in one place

Every platform truncates or rejects text past its limit. Here are the numbers that matter, in one place.

How many pages is 1,000 words?

1,000 words runs about 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced in a standard 12-point font.

How long should an introduction be?

A reliable rule: the introduction should be about 10% of the total word count — 150 words for a 1,500-word essay.

How long should an abstract be?

Most journal abstracts are capped at 150–300 words; conference abstracts usually allow 250–500.

How many words are in a paragraph?

A typical paragraph runs 75–150 words in formal writing, and 40–80 words on the web.

How long does it take to read 10,000 words?

At an average adult pace of 240 words per minute, 10,000 words takes about 40 minutes of focused silent reading.

How long should a conclusion be?

A conclusion should run about 5–10% of the total word count — shorter than the introduction it mirrors.

How long should a blog post be?

For search traffic, 1,500–2,500 words is the sweet spot in most ranking studies; for pure readability, shorter often wins.

What is a good readability score?

Readability formulas boil your writing down to two numbers: how long your sentences are and how long your words are. Here's what the scores mean, what to aim for, and — more usefully — what to do when yours is too low.