Word Counts, Reading Time and Writing Goals
How to use word counts sensibly, estimate reading time and set realistic writing goals for essays, posts and notes.
Numbers can help you write: a target to reach, a limit to respect, a sense of how long something takes to read. Used lightly, they're useful tools.
Typical lengths
| Type of writing | Rough length |
|---|---|
| Text message | a few words to a few sentences |
| 50 to 200 words | |
| Short blog post | 300 to 800 words |
| Article | 800 to 2,000 words |
| Novel | 50,000 words or more |
These are guides, not rules. Follow any limit you've been given.
Reading time
People read at different speeds. A commonly used estimate is around 200 to 250 words per minute for silent reading of ordinary text.
| Words | Approximate reading time |
|---|---|
| 250 | about 1 minute |
| 500 | about 2 minutes |
| 1,000 | about 4 to 5 minutes |
Technical or dense material takes longer.
Speaking time
For a talk, a common estimate is around 130 to 150 words per minute. A five-minute talk is roughly 650 to 750 words.
Setting writing goals
- Start small. A goal of 200 to 300 words a day is achievable.
- Set a time instead of a count if that works better: "20 minutes a day".
- Track your progress in a simple file with the date and words written.
- Celebrate consistency, not just big days.
- Allow rest days.
A simple log:
2027-02-01 320 words
2027-02-02 0 (busy)
2027-02-03 450 words
Counting words
Most editors offer a word count, or you can estimate: a full page of typed text is often around 250 to 500 words, depending on spacing and font.
Quality over quantity
A word count measures length, not quality. A tight 300-word note can be better than a rambling 1,000-word one.
Cutting to fit
If you're over a limit:
- Delete repeated ideas.
- Shorten long phrases.
- Remove filler words such as "very" and "really".
- Prefer active verbs.
Use goals kindly
Goals should encourage, not punish. If a target stops being helpful, adjust it.
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