How long should a cover letter be?

Most fit comfortably in three to four short paragraphs, well under one page. Length matters less than whether every paragraph earns its place.

Is three paragraphs too short?

Not if each one does its job: why this role, what you have done that is relevant, and a clear close. Padding a short letter to look longer usually makes it worse.

Does a long average sentence length matter?

It is a signal, not a rule. Letters with many long sentences tend to get skimmed rather than read, because a reader has to work harder to follow them.

Cover letter length checker

A cover letter that runs long usually says so before anyone reads a word of it, because the page looks dense. This checks the shape of what you pasted: how many words, how many paragraphs, and how long the sentences run.

It does not rewrite anything. If a paragraph is doing too much, you are still the one who has to decide what to cut.

Word count

Paste your letter to see the length.

Paragraphs: 0
Sentences: 1
Average words per sentence: 0.0

Everything above is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or saved anywhere.

How this is worked out

Paragraphs are counted as blocks of text separated by a blank line, matching how the letter would actually be laid out.
Sentences are split on full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.
Average sentence length is total words divided by sentence count, which is the same rough measure readability formulas use.

What this does not cover

This does not check the content of the letter, only its shape - whether it is generic or specific is not something word count can measure.
A short letter is not automatically weak. A cover letter that names the role, one relevant result and why you are applying can do that in well under 300 words.
Nothing pasted here is stored or sent anywhere.

Questions people ask

How long should a cover letter be?: Most fit comfortably in three to four short paragraphs, well under one page. Length matters less than whether every paragraph earns its place.
Is three paragraphs too short?: Not if each one does its job: why this role, what you have done that is relevant, and a clear close. Padding a short letter to look longer usually makes it worse.
Does a long average sentence length matter?: It is a signal, not a rule. Letters with many long sentences tend to get skimmed rather than read, because a reader has to work harder to follow them.

Where these figures come from

Rates and rules on this page were last checked against the source on 31 August 2026. Tax law changes; check the source before you rely on a number for a decision.

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