Guides · Writing and word counts
Writing, word count and publishing guides
Word limits are set by someone: an exam board, a university, a publisher or a contest. These guides give the published limit wherever one exists, say what the rule-setter counts (titles, references, numbers, hyphenated words) and where a counting tool and a reader may disagree, then move on to formatting a manuscript and what a printed book costs to make.
All writing and word counts guides
How long should a sentence be?GOV.UK says check sentences over 25 words; plain English says average 15 to 20. The "8 words is 100% understood" figure has no source anyone shows. What to use instead.Published · 8 min read
Large print font size and page countAPH says 18 point, UKAAF 16, Ingram 14, and KDP has no large print rule at all. The standards side by side, x-heights measured from the font files, and what 18 point does to page count and royalty.Published · 14 min read
How long should a query letter and a synopsis be?Query letters and synopses are different documents with different limits. A 2008 count of 180 queries, eight agents' and publishers' synopsis rules, and what "one page" means in words.Published · 13 min read
Medical school personal statement and activity character limitsEvery essay and activity limit from the AAMC, AACOMAS and TMDSAS guides, what counts as a character, and why 5,300 characters is nearer 950 words than 757.Published · 11 min read
TOEFL Writing word counts since January 2026The three Writing tasks since 21 January 2026, the one word count ETS actually gives, and ETS's own "high-level" samples counted at 79 and 118 words.Published · 11 min read
How much editors charge per wordThe EFA's 2026 survey of 1,100 editors, row by row; why guides disagree (genre); an 80,000-word novel costed four ways; and three edits of one paragraph, counted.Published · 17 min read
Children's book word counts by ageNine children's publishers' posted word limits side by side, why a picture book is 32 pages and how many words fit a spread, and what middle grade and YA counts make in print.Published · 15 min read
How long a book description should beKDP's own advice is a 150-word paragraph inside a 4,000-character limit that counts every tag. A real description counted, IngramSpark's bytes, and how many words a back cover holds.Published · 13 min read
How long is an abstract?APA says 250 words, PLOS ONE 300, JAMA 350, theses 150 to 600 and conferences count characters. Every limit quoted from its own page.Updated · 14 min read
How long is a chapter?Every chapter of 27 public-domain novels, counted. The median is 2,733 words, and fewer than half sit inside the usual 2,000 to 4,000.Updated · 19 min read
Short story, novelette or novella? The word countsThe Hugo, Nebula, Stoker and World Fantasy rules side by side, why the guides disagree, the Hugo 20% rule worked out, and what magazines will actually buy.Published · 15 min read
How long is a dissertation?Limits from Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle, UWA, Oslo, Harvard and others, by degree. Even one university counts footnotes and appendices differently from one department to the next.Published · 16 min read
Title case rules in AP, APA, Chicago and MLAThe four style guides agree on most words and part on four-letter prepositions. One table, one title in each style, and the 2024 Chicago change most guides still miss.Published · 15 min read
Standard manuscript formatFont, spacing, the first page, the header and how to round the word count, with why 250 words a page is a typewriter figure.Published · 18 min read
KDP printing cost and royaltyThe fixed cost is $1.00, $0.85 or $2.30 depending on which line of KDP's table you read. The formula, every marketplace's figures, the $9.98 to $9.99 step and a 300-page paperback worked through.Published · 24 min read
IELTS Writing word count and the under-length penaltyIELTS's own FAQs say "no direct penalty" for a short answer; the band descriptors still rate 20 words or fewer at Band 1. The rules from official sources, the counting guidelines IELTS published, and four official sample answers counted.Published · 17 min read
How many words in a novel, by genreHarlequin, Entangled, Baen and two UK crime publishers state their lengths; the guides quoting "romance is 80,000 to 100,000" do not. The figures, the 40,000-word line and sixteen classics counted.Published · 16 min read
Does the word count include references?The reference list almost never counts; footnotes split universities three ways. 13 policies side by side, and how to find the rule that applies to you.Published · 16 min read
College essay word limits for 2026-27Every limit from the body that sets it, what Common App's own help pages say happens past 650 words, and why a character limit holds fewer words than it claims.Published · 12 min read
Other topics: counting and tallying, sports scoring and rules, lab and field counts, health, fitness and habits, prayer beads and crafts, or every guide on the guides front page.