How long should a cover letter be? Words, paragraphs, pages

The short answer: less than one page, in three or four paragraphs. That is usually 250 to 400 words, the range AlderCV’s editor uses too. A shorter letter is fine, and often better, as long as it answers the one question a reader brings to it: why this person, for this job?

What matters more than the exact number is that every paragraph has a job.

Length at a glance

Measure	Target
Words	250–400 for most letters; 150–250 is fine for a focused one
Paragraphs	Three or four, plus the greeting and sign-off
Page	Never more than one
Sentences per paragraph	Two to five
Email body used as the letter	100–200 words

How long each part should be

A letter has four jobs. Give each one roughly this much room:

Part	Length	What it does
Opening	2–3 sentences, about 40–60 words	Names the role and gives one concrete reason you fit it
Evidence	1–2 short paragraphs, about 100–200 words	One or two results from your resume that match what the ad asks for
Why this company	2–4 sentences, about 50–80 words	Shows you know what they do and why you want to do the work there
Close	2–3 sentences, about 30–50 words	Says what you would like to happen next and thanks them

Add those up and you are at 220 to 390 words. If one part is three times its share, that is usually where the cutting starts.

The parts, with example paragraphs for each, are explained in how to write a cover letter.

Shorter is fine, if it is specific

A short letter is not a weak letter. The 18 cover letter examples on this site run 145 to 190 words of body text (plus the greeting and sign-off), and each one still names the role, proves one or two points with numbers from the matching resume, and says why that company.

What makes a letter too short is not the word count but what is missing:

• No evidence. “I am a hard-working team player with strong communication skills” is 10 words and says nothing a reader can check.
• No company. Nothing in the letter would change if you sent it somewhere else.
• No ask. The letter stops without saying you would like to talk.

If your letter has all three, it is long enough.

When to write more or less

Situation	Length	Why
Standard application, letter attached as a file	250–400 words, one page	The usual case
Internship, first job or graduate role	200–300 words	Less to prove; one project or placement story is enough
Career change	300–400 words	You need a sentence or two to connect the old work to the new role
Senior roles	300–400 words	More to choose from, not more to say: pick the two results that fit this job
Email, when the email is the letter	100–200 words	It is read on a phone, between other emails
Online form with a text box	The form’s limit	A limit of 2,000 characters is roughly 300–350 English words
Referral or networking note	80–150 words	Name the person who referred you, the role and one reason
Faculty and research jobs in academia	Often longer than a page	These letters cover research, teaching and service; follow the norms of the field and the ad

If the ad or the form gives a limit, that is the length. Going over a word limit tells the reader you did not read the instructions.

For a career change, the extra words go into the bridge between your past work and the new job, not into your history. Our career change resume guide shows how to find the skills that carry over.

Applying in Germany? The Anschreiben is also one page, with a fixed layout; see the German CV format guide.

How to cut a letter that runs long

Most long letters are long for the same few reasons. Work through them in this order:

1. Cut what repeats your resume. The reader has your resume. The letter picks one or two things from it and tells the story behind them; it does not list your jobs again.
2. Cut duties, keep results. “I was responsible for managing social media accounts” becomes “I grew our Instagram following from 4,000 to 19,000 in a year”.
3. Cut the warm-up. First sentences like “I am writing to express my interest in…” can usually go. Start with the role and your reason.
4. Cut adjectives without proof. “Passionate”, “dynamic” and “results-driven” take space and prove nothing. A number or an example does the work instead.
5. Keep one story per point. If you tell three stories that all show you are organized, keep the strongest.
6. Shorten the close. “Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience” can be “I would welcome the chance to talk about the role. Thank you for reading.”

Here is what that looks like on one paragraph:

Before (88 words): In my current role as a Marketing Coordinator at a mid-sized retail company, I have been responsible for a wide range of tasks, including managing our social media channels, coordinating with designers, writing copy for campaigns and reporting on results to the marketing manager. I am a highly motivated and creative team player who is passionate about digital marketing and always looking for new ways to engage customers. I believe these skills and experiences make me an excellent fit for the Social Media Specialist position at your company.

After (51 words): At Harbor & Pine, I run our Instagram and TikTok accounts. In a year, our following grew from 4,000 to 19,000, and posts I wrote and planned brought in 11% of online sales last quarter. Your ad asks for someone to grow organic reach; that is the job I do now.

The second version is little more than half the length and says more: the channels, the result, the business effect and the link to the ad.

Fitting it on one page

Do not shrink the font or the margins to squeeze a long letter onto one page. If it only fits at 9 points, it is too long. A comfortable page looks like this:

• Body text at 10.5 to 12 points, single-spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs.
• Margins of about 2 to 2.5 cm (0.75 to 1 inch).
• The same header, fonts and colors as your resume, so the two read as a set.

With a letterhead, date, greeting and sign-off, a page like that has room for roughly 400 to 450 words of body text. That is why the word count in AlderCV’s cover letter editor turns red above 450 words.

Emails and online forms

When the email itself is your cover letter, keep it to 100–200 words: a greeting, two short paragraphs (the role and your reason, then one result that matches the ad), and a close. Put the job title and your name in the subject line, and attach your resume as a PDF.

When an application form has a text box, paste the body of your letter without the header and the date, and check the line breaks after pasting. If the box has a character limit, write to it rather than cutting mid-sentence at the end.

Frequently asked questions

Is 500 words too long for a cover letter?

Usually, yes. At 500 words a letter starts to run past a page and readers skim. Unless the ad asks for more, cut it to 400 or fewer using the steps above.

Can a cover letter be two pages?

Only when the employer asks for more detail or the field expects it, such as faculty jobs in academia. For other jobs, keep it to one page.

How many paragraphs should a cover letter have?

Three or four, plus the greeting and sign-off: the opening, one or two paragraphs of evidence, why this company, and the close. The “why this company” part can sit inside the opening or the evidence if the letter is short.

Is 150 words too short?

Not if it does the job. A 150-word letter that names the role, proves one point with a result and says why this company beats a 400-word letter of general claims. It is a good length for an email or an online form.

Does the length of a cover letter matter for applicant tracking systems?

Applicant tracking systems store the letter with your application; the person who opens it is the one who reads it. Write for that person: short paragraphs, the job title from the ad and the words the ad uses where they honestly describe your work. More on that in our ATS resume guide.

Quick checklist

• One page or less, at a normal font size
• Three or four paragraphs, each with one job
• 250–400 words, or a focused 150–250
• The ad's word or character limit followed exactly
• No list of duties copied from the resume
• At least one result with a number
• A sentence on why this company

The cover letter builder walks you through the four parts with a tip and example paragraphs for each, counts your words as you type and uses your resume’s design.