How Long Should a Cover Letter Be? The Right Length (With Word Counts)
The single most common mistake people make with a cover letter is treating it like an essay. Recruiters skim. A hiring manager reading the 40th application of the day is not going to wade through a full page of dense prose to find the one sentence that matters. The right length is shorter than most people think — and getting it right is one of the easiest ways to look polished.
The ideal cover letter length, by the numbers
For the overwhelming majority of jobs, your target is:
- Word count: 250–400 words
- Page length: half to three-quarters of one page — never more than a full page
- Paragraphs: 3 to 4 short ones
- Reading time: under 60 seconds
If you're closer to 250 words, you're in good shape. Once you push past 400, you're asking for more attention than most readers will give, and you risk burying your strongest point. A cover letter is a teaser for your resume, not a replacement for it.
Why shorter wins
Recruiters spend seconds, not minutes, on a first pass. A tight letter signals that you can communicate clearly and respect the reader's time — both of which are job skills in their own right. A long letter signals the opposite, even if every sentence is good.
There's also a practical reason: the more you write, the more you dilute. Three sharp sentences about a measurable result land harder than three paragraphs of background. When in doubt, cut. The discipline of staying under 400 words forces you to lead with your most relevant, most specific evidence.
The 3-to-4 paragraph structure that fits the length
The easiest way to hit the right length is to use a fixed structure. Each paragraph has one job:
- Opening (2–3 sentences). State the role, and lead with a hook — a relevant achievement or a genuine reason you're a strong fit. Skip "I am writing to apply for…"; the reader knows.
- Body (3–5 sentences, one or two paragraphs). Connect your experience to what the job actually needs. Name one or two specific accomplishments with numbers. Mirror the language of the job description so the relevance is obvious.
- Closing (2–3 sentences). Reiterate your interest, point to your resume, and add a confident call to action. (We cover this in detail in how to end a cover letter.)
Four paragraphs of two to four sentences each lands you almost exactly in the 250–400 word sweet spot without counting words.
When a longer (or shorter) letter makes sense
A few situations shift the target:
- Senior or executive roles: you can run toward the top of the range (350–400 words) because there's more substance to convey — but still keep it to one page.
- Postings that ask you to address specific criteria (common in academia, government, and the UK): answer each point, which may push length up. Use the posting's structure as your outline.
- Quick online applications and referrals: a 150–200 word note or even a short email can be enough. Brevity reads as confidence when you already have a foot in the door.
- A blank "message" box in an application portal: treat it like the body of an email — three or four sentences, no salutation needed.
How to cut a cover letter that's too long
If you're over a page, attack it in this order:
- Delete throat-clearing. "I am writing to express my strong interest in…" can almost always go. Start with the substance.
- Cut anything already on your resume. The cover letter adds context and connects dots; it doesn't restate your work history.
- Remove generic praise of the company unless it ties directly to why you're a fit.
- Combine paragraphs that make the same point.
- Trim adjectives. "Successfully managed a large, complex, cross-functional team" becomes "managed a 12-person cross-functional team."
Once your letter is tight, make sure the resume it's paired with is just as sharp. Run it through our free resume checker to confirm your keywords match the job description, and if you want a fast, tailored draft to start from, our AI cover letter generator builds a right-length letter from your resume and the posting in seconds — the free trial includes 3 generations.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a one-page cover letter too long?
- A full page is the absolute maximum, and most strong cover letters are shorter — half to three-quarters of a page. If you're filling an entire page, look for content to cut, especially anything that simply repeats your resume.
- How many words should a cover letter be?
- Aim for 250 to 400 words. Around 250–300 is ideal for most online applications; the higher end suits senior roles or postings that ask you to address specific criteria.
- How many paragraphs should a cover letter have?
- Three to four short paragraphs: an opening that hooks the reader, one or two body paragraphs with specific, quantified accomplishments, and a brief closing with a call to action.