Cover letter
How Long Should a Cover Letter Be? Words, Paragraphs, Pages
A cover letter should be one page or less, in three or four short paragraphs, which usually comes to about 250 to 400 words. Go shorter for an email or a form field, and never go to a second page.
Key takeaways
- A cover letter should fit on one page, in three or four short paragraphs, which is usually about 250 to 400 words.
- A cover letter should never run to two pages; if it does, cut repeated resume detail before cutting proof.
- A cover letter sent in an email body or a short form field can be 100 to 200 words: the opening, one result and the close.
- The right length for a cover letter is the shortest version that still names the role, gives one company detail and proves the posting's top asks.
- When an application form sets a character limit, write to the limit, because text past it is usually cut off or rejected.
How long should a cover letter be?
A cover letter should be one page or less, in three or four short paragraphs. Columbia’s career center gives the same rule: one page or less, about three or four paragraphs, single spaced. In words, that’s usually 250 to 400.
If you’ve been worrying that yours is too short, you’re probably closer than you think. A letter is long enough when it does four things: names the role, shows one specific reason you want this company, proves the posting’s top two or three asks, and asks for a conversation. Anything past that has to earn its place.
Cover letter length at a glance
| Measure | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | 1 | Never 2. |
| Paragraphs | 3 to 4 | Opening, 1 or 2 paragraphs of proof, close. |
| Words | 250 to 400 | Toward 250 for junior roles, toward 400 for senior ones with more to prove. |
| Sentences per paragraph | 2 to 4 | Short paragraphs are easier to scan on a screen. |
| Email or form version | 100 to 200 words | Opening, one result, close. |
| Font | 10 to 12 point | The same size as your resume, so the two read as a set. |
How many words should a cover letter be?
A cover letter should be about 250 to 400 words. Under 200 words, a full letter usually lacks proof; past 400, it starts repeating the resume. Paste your draft into any word counter, and if it’s over, cut in this order:
- Sentences that restate a resume line without adding a result or context.
- General claims ("strong communicator”, “team player") that nothing in the letter proves.
- A third result, if the first two already cover the posting’s main asks.
- Throat-clearing openings like “I am writing to express my interest in”.
Keep the company detail and your numbers; they’re the parts that make the letter worth reading.
Can a cover letter be two pages?
No. A cover letter should fit on one page, and a second page reads as a sign you couldn’t decide what mattered. If yours spills over, cut words rather than shrinking the font or margins below the usual 10 to 12 point and one inch.
Senior roles are the one place a letter can run a little longer, up to about 450 words, when the extra lines carry real evidence: a team you built, a budget you ran, a turnaround. It still fits on one page.
Should a cover letter be one full page?
No, a cover letter doesn’t need to fill the page. Some white space at the bottom is fine, though half a page is usually too thin for a full letter. Three tight paragraphs with real results beat four padded ones.
When should a cover letter be shorter?
Go shorter, around 100 to 200 words, when the letter sits in an email body, a short form field, or a LinkedIn message to a recruiter. Readers in those places are scanning, and a short note with one strong result gets read.
A short version keeps three parts:
Dear [Name], I'm applying for the [Role] position at [Company]. [One specific detail about the company and why it caught your attention.] At [Current company], I [one result that matches their top ask, with a number]. I'd love to bring that to [the goal or team in the posting]. My resume is attached, and I'd welcome a conversation. Thank you for your time. Best regards, [Your name]
Rewrite the brackets in your own words; a short note is where your voice shows most, so let it sound like you rather than like a form.
How do you fit a cover letter into a character limit?
Write to the limit: when an application form caps the cover letter field, text past the cap is usually cut off or blocked, so the end of your letter, where you ask for a conversation, is what gets lost. Check the counter on the form before you paste.
- Characters, not words. Many forms count characters including spaces. As a rough guide, 1,000 characters is around 150 to 200 words.
- Draft for the field. Write the short version above first, then add a second result only if it fits.
- Paste as plain text. Formatting from a document can add stray characters or break line spacing. Paste into a plain text editor first, then into the form.
- Keep the greeting and sign-off. They take few characters and keep it reading as a letter.
Does the length change for internships and entry-level jobs?
Slightly. An internship or entry-level cover letter can sit at the shorter end, around 250 to 300 words, because you’re proving potential with one or two projects rather than a track record. Our entry-level marketing cover letter and internship cover letter pages have examples at that length.
For the structure of each paragraph, see how to write a cover letter.
FAQ
Is 500 words too long for a cover letter?
Usually, yes. At 500 words most letters are repeating the resume or explaining things the reader didn’t ask about. Cut to 400 or fewer, keeping the company detail and your strongest results.
Is a 150-word cover letter too short?
For a full document cover letter, 150 words is on the short side and often missing proof. For an email body, a form field or a message to a recruiter, 150 words is a good length.
How many paragraphs should a cover letter have?
Three or four: an opening with the role and one company detail, one or two paragraphs of proof, and a close that asks for a conversation.
Does the cover letter length include the header and sign-off?
Word-count guidance like 250 to 400 words refers to the body: the greeting through the closing paragraph. The header, date and sign-off add a few lines and still need to fit on the same page.
Should a cover letter be shorter than the resume?
Yes. A resume can run to one or two pages; a cover letter is always one page or less, and usually a good deal shorter than the resume.