Word counts and character limits: a practical reference
Word and character limits are everywhere: in essay prompts, application forms, social posts, ad copy and text messages. This reference collects the most common limits and rules of thumb in one place. To measure your own text, paste it into the sentence counter, which shows words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading and speaking time.
How long is…?
| Length | Pages (single-spaced) | Pages (double-spaced) | Reading time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 words | about ½ | about 1 | 1 min | 2 min |
| 500 words | about 1 | about 2 | 2 min | 4 min |
| 1,000 words | about 2 | about 4 | 4 min | 8 min |
| 2,500 words | about 5 | about 10 | 11 min | 19 min |
Page counts assume a 12-point font such as Times New Roman with 1-inch margins; larger fonts, headings and short paragraphs all change them. Reading time assumes 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adults reading non-fiction, and speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for a talk.
Character limits on popular platforms
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 characters for standard accounts |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| Instagram bio | 150 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| YouTube title | 100 characters |
| YouTube description | 5,000 characters |
| Text message (SMS) | 160 characters, or 70 if it contains emoji or other special characters |
Platforms change their limits from time to time, so check the current figure if you’re close to the line. Some also count certain characters, such as emoji or links, differently from ordinary letters.
Search results
Google doesn’t publish fixed limits for titles and descriptions. It cuts them off based on the width they take up on screen. As a rule of thumb, page titles of up to about 60 characters and meta descriptions of about 150 to 160 characters are usually shown in full on a desktop screen. Put the most important words first in case the end is cut.
Essays and applications
- Common App personal essay (US college admissions): up to 650 words.
- School and university essays: many instructors allow about 10% over or under a stated word count. If the limit is strict (“no more than 1,500 words”), treat it as a maximum. Whether titles, headings, citations and the reference list count varies, so check the instructions.
- Abstracts: journals commonly ask for 150 to 250 words.
- Cover letters: 250 to 400 words is typical, enough to fit on one page.
Why word counters disagree
Two programs can give slightly different counts for the same text because they make different decisions about:
- Hyphenated words such as “well-known”: usually one word, sometimes two.
- Numbers and symbols such as “2026”, “&” or “—”: some count them, some don’t.
- Contractions such as “don’t”: almost always one word.
- Web addresses and email addresses: usually one word each.
- Hidden text in a document, such as footnotes, text boxes and comments, which may or may not be included.
The differences are usually a few words in a thousand. When a limit is strict, count with the same tool your teacher, publisher or platform uses (often Microsoft Word, in the status bar or under Review › Word Count).
Tips for cutting words
- Delete filler phrases: “in order to” becomes “to”, “due to the fact that” becomes “because”.
- Remove intensifiers such as “very”, “really” and “quite”. The word frequency counter shows which ones you use most.
- Prefer active verbs: “The report was written by the team” (7 words) becomes “The team wrote the report” (5 words).
- Cut the first paragraph of a draft and see if the piece still works. Writers often warm up before they get to the point.