Paste your cover letter above — the ideal letter is shorter than most people write, and the counter shows exactly where you stand.
Ideal Cover Letter Length
| Element | Target |
|---|---|
| Total length | 250–400 words |
| Paragraphs | 3–4 |
| Page count | Always one page |
| Recruiter reading time | About 30 seconds |
Guidelines reviewed as of July 2026.
Why 250–400 Words?
Recruiters skim a cover letter in about half a minute. Under 250 words reads as low effort; over 400 signals you cannot prioritize — the exact skill the letter is supposed to demonstrate. The winning structure: an opening that names the role and your strongest qualification, one or two paragraphs of evidence tied to the job description, and a confident close.
Trimming a Long Letter
- Cut the throat-clearing: “I am writing to express my interest in…” — the application already says that.
- Don't retell the resume. Pick the two achievements most relevant to this job and expand only those.
- One company-specific sentence beats a paragraph of generic flattery.
- Kill adverbs: “successfully led” is just “led”.
Should a cover letter ever be longer than a page?
Practically never. Academic and federal applications sometimes expect more detail, but for standard corporate roles a second page is where cover letters go to be unread.
Does the word count include the greeting and sign-off?
Yes — “Dear Ms. Alvarez” and “Sincerely” count like any other words, but together they use fewer than ten. Spend your attention on the body paragraphs, where trimming makes a real difference.
Is a short cover letter better than no cover letter?
Almost always. A tight 150-word note that names the role and your single strongest qualification beats an empty field — and many recruiters read short letters precisely because they are short.