how many sentences in a short essay

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How to Write a Short Essay

Last Updated: January 17, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 118,256 times.

Essay writing is a common assignment in high school or college courses, especially within the humanities. You’ll also be asked to write essays for college admissions and scholarships. In a short essay (250-500 words), you will need to provide an introduction with a thesis, a body, and a conclusion, as you would with a longer essay. Depending on the essay requirements, you may also need to do academic or online research to find sources to back up your claims.

Picking a Topic and Gathering Research

• If you have any questions about the topic, ask your instructor. If your essay doesn't respond to the prompt, you likely won't receive full credit.

• If you're writing an essay for an in-class test or for an application, tailor the essay to the given prompt and topic. Quickly brainstorm a few ideas; for example, think of positive things you can say about yourself for a college-entrance essay.
• For example, the topic “depression in American literature” is far too broad. Narrow down your topic to something like “Willie Loman’s depression in Death of a Salesman .”
• Or, you could write about a narrow topic like “the increase in the USA’s national debt in the 1950s” rather than a broad topic like “the American economy in the 20th century.”

• Depending on the field in which you’re writing the essay—e.g., hard sciences, sociology, humanities, etc.—your instructor will direct you towards appropriate databases. For example, if you’re writing a high-school or college-level essay for your English class, visit online literary databases like JSTOR, LION, and the MLA Bibliography.
• If you're writing the essay for a college or graduate-school application, it's unlikely that you'll need to include any secondary sources.
• If you're writing a timed or in-class essay, you may not be able to find research articles. But, still do draw information from texts and sources you've studied both in and out of class, and build from points made in any provided reading passages.

• If you’re writing about current events or journalism topics, read articles from well-known news sites like CNN or the BBC.
• Avoid citing unreliable websites like blogs or any sites that have a clear bias about the topic they’re reporting on.

Composing the Essay

• If you write the essay without outlining, the essay will be poorly organized.

• This thesis statement is far too weak: “ Death of a Salesman shows the difficulty of living in America after WWII.”
• Instead, hone your thesis to something like: “Arthur Miller uses Death of a Salesman to show that the American Dream is materialist and impractical.”

• So, avoid beginning the paragraph by writing something like, “Since the beginning of time, all people have been consumed with the desire for their father’s approval.”
• Instead, write something like, “In the play Death of a Salesman , Willie Loman’s sons compete for their father’s approval through various masculine displays."
• Then, you can say, "To examine this topic, I will perform a close reading of several key passages of the play and present analyses by noted Arthur Miller scholars."

• In a short essay, the conclusion should do nothing more than briefly restate your main claim and remind readers of the evidence you provided.

• So, take the example about Death of a Salesman . The first body paragraph could discuss the ways in which Willie’s sons try to impress him.
• The second body paragraph could dive into Willie’s hopelessness and despair, and the third paragraph could discuss how Miller uses his characters to show the flaws in their understanding of the American Dream.

• Always cite your sources so you avoid charges of plagiarism. Check with your instructor (or the essay prompt) and find out what citation style you should use.
• For example, if you’re summarizing the inflation of the American dollar during the 1930s, provide 2 or 3 years and inflation-rate percentages. Don’t provide a full-paragraph summary of the economic decline.
• If you're writing an in-class essay and don't have time to perform any research, you don't need to incorporate outside sources. But, it will impress your teacher if you quote from a reading passage or bring up pertinent knowledge you may have gained during the class.

• If no one agrees to read the essay, read over your own first draft and look for errors or spots where you could clarify your meaning. Reading the essay out loud often helps, as you’ll be able to hear sentences that aren’t quite coherent.
• This step does not apply to essays written during a timed or in-class exam, as you won't be able to ask peers to read your work.

• It’s always a mistake to submit an unrevised first draft, whether for a grade, for admissions, or for a scholarship essay.
• However, if you're writing an essay for a timed exam, it's okay if you don't have enough time to combine multiple drafts before the time runs out.

Condensing Your Essay

• So, if you’re writing about Death of a Salesman , an article about symbolism in Arthur Miller’s plays would be useful. But, an article about the average cost of Midwestern hotels in the 1940s would be irrelevant.
• If you’re writing a scholarship essay, double-check the instructions to clarify what types of sources you’re allowed to use.

• A common cliche you might find in an essay is a statement like, "I'm the hardest working student at my school."
• For example, this sentence is too verbose: “I have been a relentlessly stellar student throughout my entire high school career since I am a seriously dedicated reader and thoroughly apply myself to every assignment I receive in class.”
• Shortened, it could read: “I was a stellar student throughout my high school career since I was a dedicated reader and applied myself to every assignment I received.”

• Avoid writing something like, “Willie Loman can be seen as having achieved little through his life because he is not respected by his sons and is not valued by his co-workers.”
• Instead, write, “Arthur Miller shows readers that Willie’s life accomplishments have amounted to little. Willie’s sons do not look up to him, and his co-workers treat him without respect.”

• For example, if you’re trying to prove that WWII pulled the USA out of the Great Depression, focus strictly on an economic argument.
• Avoid bringing in other, less convincing topics. For example, don’t dedicate a paragraph to discussing how much it cost the USA to build fighter jets in 1944.

Short Essay Template and Example

Expert Q&A

• When composing the text of your essay, resist the temptation to pull words from a thesaurus in an attempt to sound academic or intelligent. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• If your high school or college has an online or in-person writing center, schedule an appointment. Taking advantage of this type of service can improve your essay and help you recognize structural or grammatical problems you would not have noticed otherwise. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/choosing_a_topic.html
• ↑ https://monroecollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=589208&p=4072926
• ↑ https://www.utep.edu/extendeduniversity/utepconnect/blog/march-2017/4-ways-to-differentiate-a-good-source-from-a-bad-source.html
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/essay-outline/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
• ↑ https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/how-to-write-an-essay/essay-introduction
• ↑ https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-write-an-intro--conclusion----body-paragraph.html
• ↑ https://mlpp.pressbooks.pub/writingsuccess/chapter/8-3-drafting/
• ↑ https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/how-guides/how-write-university/how-approach-any-assignment/writing-english-essay/using-secondary
• ↑ https://patch.com/michigan/berkley/bp--how-to-shorten-your-college-essay-without-ruining-it
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/ccs_activevoice/
• ↑ https://wordcounter.net/blog/2016/01/26/101025_how-to-reduce-essay-word-count.html

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How Long Is a Short Essay: How to Write a Short Essay

As a student, you have probably been in a position where you do not know how to write a specific essay given by your professor. Further, it can be pretty hectic if the deadline is fast approaching and you have not yet figured out how long the short essay needs to be.

You’re unsure how many paragraphs the short essay should have, how to write, and how many sentences this essay type has. Luckily we’ve done some research and compiled everything you need to know.  

Here is how long a short essay is, plus other tips to help you create a good piece.

How Long Is a Short Essay

Generally, a short essay is a piece of writing typically between 300 and 500 words long, although it can go to 750 words. The length of the paper is dependent on the requirements of the assignment and its purpose.

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This means it will be two pages if double-spaced and one page if single-spaced, but all in Times Romans of 12pts font

Despite being short, there are no strict rules for the exact length. However, it should be written in simple language and contain only one main idea or argument developed in detail. It should also include several examples that support or illustrate the main idea and some key references and citations if needed.

Also see: Is it wrong to pay someone to write your essay? 

In addition, it can also be as long as 1,000 words, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be asked to write an essay that long unless you are writing for a class in creative writing. For most college-level courses, you will be required to write shorter articles rather than longer ones. The length of an essay depends on your instructor’s preferences and what they expect from their students.

Overall, your instructor determines the length of your essay. They will ask you to stick with the 500 standard or go lower or exceed it.

How to Write a Short Essay

Short essays are brief, and their lengths are one of the challenges you will face because you have to balance each point, so you do not exceed the word count. However, here are some of the best tips on how to write a short essay;

Researching helps you gather the necessary information about your topic. You can use books, the internet, interviews, newspapers, or journals to get the information and data you need.

brainstorming helps you to refine your information. This is where you look at each piece of information and decide which to use because the essay cannot accommodate everything due to its length.

This step involves deciding how to arrange your essay. Generally, you will have an introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

The writing process involves developing the points into longer information. Depending on the length, each point can go into a separate paragraph so that readers aren’t confused.

The introduction will be a general overview of the piece and your thesis. The body includes every point you discuss, while the conclusion comprises a wrap-up of the entire essay.

As you write, ensure you use examples and evidence to support every claim and make your writing authoritative.

This is the last part of the writing process. It entails going over your writing to correct any mistakes. These errors may be grammatical, structure, and flow.

An important tip is to edit your work a day after writing, but if you are pressed for time, you can give yourself a few minutes before going back to edit your work.

Other tips that will help you in writing include;

• In the introduction, be specific, stay on point, and provide minimal contextual detail
• In the body, stay on topic and deal with points in their order of importance
• Remember to cite your sources where need be.

How Many Paragraphs in a Short Essay

The average length for a short essay is five to seven paragraphs long, comprising an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

In an academic setting, a paragraph is typically five to seven sentences long, but there are no hard rules about length. In general, shorter paragraphs are easier to read than longer ones, so keep them relatively short.

A good rule of thumb is that each paragraph should focus on one idea. This means that a reader will get one point in each paragraph. Following this procedure helps avoid confusing the readers.

How Many Sentences in a Short Essay

A short essay can have varying sentences, but typically it will have three to eight sentences per paragraph, with the entire paragraphs being five to seven.  

However, the number of sentences depends on many factors, including the essay’s purpose and paragraph’s length.

The best way to determine how many sentences to include in your essay is to read other pieces written by experts or published online by reputable sources. This will give you an idea of how long an effective paragraph should be and how many paragraphs are necessary for each topic.  

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The Best College Essay Length: How Long Should It Be?

College Essays

Figuring out your college essay can be one of the most difficult parts of applying to college. Even once you've read the prompt and picked a topic, you might wonder: if you write too much or too little, will you blow your chance of admission? How long should a college essay be?

Whether you're a terse writer or a loquacious one, we can advise you on college essay length. In this guide, we'll cover what the standard college essay length is, how much word limits matter, and what to do if you aren't sure how long a specific essay should be.

How Long Is a College Essay? First, Check the Word Limit

You might be used to turning in your writing assignments on a page-limit basis (for example, a 10-page paper). While some colleges provide page limits for their college essays, most use a word limit instead. This makes sure there's a standard length for all the essays that a college receives, regardless of formatting or font.

In the simplest terms, your college essay should be pretty close to, but not exceeding, the word limit in length. Think within 50 words as the lower bound, with the word limit as the upper bound. So for a 500-word limit essay, try to get somewhere between 450-500 words. If they give you a range, stay within that range.

College essay prompts usually provide the word limit right in the prompt or in the instructions.

For example, the University of Illinois says :

"You'll answer two to three prompts as part of your application. The questions you'll answer will depend on whether you're applying to a major or to our undeclared program , and if you've selected a second choice . Each response should be approximately 150 words."

As exemplified by the University of Illinois, the shortest word limits for college essays are usually around 150 words (less than half a single-spaced page). Rarely will you see a word limit higher than around 650 words (over one single-spaced page). College essays are usually pretty short: between 150 and 650 words. Admissions officers have to read a lot of them, after all!

Weigh your words carefully, because they are limited!

How Flexible Is the Word Limit?

But how flexible is the word limit? What if your poignant anecdote is just 10 words too long—or 100 too short?

Can I Go Over the Word Limit?

If you are attaching a document and you need one or two extra words, you can probably get away with exceeding the word limit by such a small amount. Some colleges will actually tell you that exceeding the word limit by 1-2 words is fine. However, I advise against exceeding the word limit unless it's explicitly allowed for a few reasons:

First, you might not be able to. If you have to copy-paste it into a text box, your essay might get cut off and you'll have to trim it down anyway.

If you exceed the word limit in a noticeable way, the admissions counselor may just stop reading your essay past that point. This is not good for you.

Following directions is actually a very important part of the college application process. You need to follow directions to get your letters of recommendation, upload your essays, send supplemental materials, get your test scores sent, and so on and so forth. So it's just a good general rule to follow whatever instructions you've been given by the institution. Better safe than sorry!

Can I Go Under the Word Limit?

If you can truly get your point across well beneath the word limit, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to.

However, most college essays have pretty tight word limits anyways. So if you're writing 300 words for an essay with a 500-word limit, ask yourself: is there anything more you could say to elaborate on or support your points? Consult with a parent, friend, or teacher on where you could elaborate with more detail or expand your points.

Also, if the college gives you a word range, you absolutely need to at least hit the bottom end of the range. So if you get a range from the institution, like 400-500 words, you need to write at least 400 words. If you write less, it will come across like you have nothing to say, which is not an impression you want to give.

What If There Is No Word Limit?

Some colleges don't give you a word limit for one or more of your essay prompts. This can be a little stressful, but the prompts generally fall into a few categories:

Writing Sample

Some colleges don't provide a hard-and-fast word limit because they want a writing sample from one of your classes. In this case, a word limit would be very limiting to you in terms of which assignments you could select from.

For an example of this kind of prompt, check out essay Option B at Amherst :

"Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay."

While there is usually no word limit per se, colleges sometimes provide a general page guideline for writing samples. In the FAQ for Option B , Amherst clarifies, "There is no hard-and-fast rule for official page limit. Typically, we anticipate a paper of 4-5 pages will provide adequate length to demonstrate your analytical abilities. Somewhat longer papers can also be submitted, but in most cases should not exceed 8-10 pages."

So even though there's no word limit, they'd like somewhere in the 4-10 pages range. High school students are not usually writing papers that are longer than 10 pages anyways, so that isn't very limiting.

Implicit Length Guideline

Sometimes, while there's no word (or even page) limit, there's still an implicit length guideline. What do I mean by this?

See, for example, this Western Washington University prompt :

“Describe one or more activities you have been involved in that have been particularly meaningful. What does your involvement say about the communities, identities or causes that are important to you?”

While there’s no page or word limit listed here, further down on page the ‘essay tips’ section explains that “ most essay responses are about 500 words, ” though “this is only a recommendation, not a firm limit.” This gives you an idea of what’s reasonable. A little longer or shorter than 500 words would be appropriate here. That’s what I mean by an “implicit” word limit—there is a reasonable length you could go to within the boundaries of the prompt.

But what's the proper coffee-to-paragraph ratio?

Treasure Hunt

There is also the classic "treasure hunt" prompt. No, it's not a prompt about a treasure hunt. It's a prompt where there are no length guidelines given, but if you hunt around on the rest of the website you can find length guidelines.

For example, the University of Chicago provides seven "Extended Essay" prompts . You must write an essay in response to one prompt of your choosing, but nowhere on the page is there any guidance about word count or page limit.

However, many colleges provide additional details about their expectations for application materials, including essays, on FAQ pages, which is true of the University of Chicago. On the school’s admissions Frequently Asked Questions page , they provide the following length guidelines for the supplemental essays: 

“We suggest that you note any word limits for Coalition or Common Application essays; however, there are no strict word limits on the UChicago Supplement essays. For the extended essay (where you choose one of several prompts), we suggest that you aim for around 650 words. While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we're only human and cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention indefinitely. For the “Why UChicago?” essay, we suggest about 250-500 words. The ideas in your writing matter more than the exact number of words you use!”

So there you go! You want to be (loosely) in the realm of 650 for the extended essay, and 250-500 words for the “Why UChicago?” essay.

Help! There Really Is No Guidance on Length

If you really can't find any length guidelines anywhere on the admissions website and you're at a loss, I advise calling the admissions office. They may not be able to give you an exact number (in fact, they probably won't), but they will probably at least be able to tell you how long most of the essays they see are. (And keep you from writing a panicked, 20-page dissertation about your relationship with your dog).

In general, 500 words or so is pretty safe for a college essay. It's a fairly standard word limit length, in fact. (And if you're wondering, that's about a page and a half double-spaced.) 500 words is long enough to develop a basic idea while still getting a point across quickly—important when admissions counselors have thousands of essays to read!

"See? It says 500 words right there in tiny font!"

The Final Word: How Long Should a College Essay Be?

The best college essay length is usually pretty straightforward: you want to be right under or at the provided word limit. If you go substantially past the word limit, you risk having your essay cut off by an online application form or having the admissions officer just not finish it. And if you're too far under the word limit, you may not be elaborating enough.

What if there is no word limit? Then how long should a college essay be? In general, around 500 words is a pretty safe approximate word amount for a college essay—it's one of the most common word limits, after all!

Here's guidance for special cases and hunting down word limits:

If it's a writing sample of your graded academic work, the length either doesn't matter or there should be some loose page guidelines.

There also may be implicit length guidelines. For example, if a prompt says to write three paragraphs, you'll know that writing six sentences is definitely too short, and two single-spaced pages is definitely too long.

You might not be able to find length guidelines in the prompt, but you could still hunt them up elsewhere on the website. Try checking FAQs or googling your chosen school name with "admissions essay word limit."

If there really is no word limit, you can call the school to try to get some guidance.

With this advice, you can be sure you've got the right college essay length on lockdown!

Hey, writing about yourself can even be fun!

What's Next?

Need to ask a teacher or friend for help with your essay? See our do's and dont's to getting college essay advice .

If you're lacking in essay inspiration, see our guide to brainstorming college essay ideas . And here's our guide to starting out your essay perfectly!

Looking for college essay examples? See 11 places to find college essay examples and 145 essay examples with analysis !

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Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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How Many Sentences in an Essay, Paragraph or a Short Essay

• by Judy Jeni
• January 16, 2024

To pass your essay, your content must make sense to the reader and you as well. How do you do this? By writing your sentences perfectly. By writing meaningful sentences, both short and long-word sentences.

But how many sentences are in an essay? As many as you prefer or as many as they exhaustively answer or discuss your essay topic. Writing your essay can, at times, be a challenge.

Several sentences make a paragraph. How will you present your ideas in several sentences to have a document that is meaningful and ready to be graded?

In this article, we look at how many sentences are in an essay and paragraphs and paragraphing.

How many Sentences are in an Essay?

There is no correct answer to this question. It’s just as asking, “How long is a string.” This is because it is not really possible to dictate how many they should be.

There is no universal number of sentences in an essay because there exists no standard rule that governs how many sentences you should write. What dictates the length of your work is the number of words or pages given by your tutor.

However, the only standard rule is ensuring your piece has an inviting introduction: an exhaustive body and a summarizing conclusion.

How it Works in Essay Writing

A group of words makes a sentence. Several sentences make a paragraph. Ultimately, several paragraphs make an essay. The number of paragraphs in an essay is then determined by the length of the overall work from the introduction to the conclusion.

What do you think is the main difference between a sentence, a paragraph, and an essay?

The most obvious answer would be, each varies in terms of its length.

Even though this may be true, can you view it from a different perspective?

View the three as boxes—a sentence being a small box. Then the paragraph is a bigger box; lastly, the essay is the biggest of the others.

This means a sentence represents a single idea. In the same manner, a paragraph describes several thoughts on the same topic. Lastly, an essay is a discussion of several ideas on one topic.

How many Words should be in a Sentence?

To start with, a sentence, no matter its number of words, should have a clear meaning on its own.

A sentence can have up to 20 words. We do not have one-word sentences unless it’s an imperative meaning; it’s a warning. For example:

• Don’t!

A 20 words or less sentence is easy to understand as it is clear and not intimidating.

According to American Press Institute study (API), readers understand better when the sentences are shorter. Although longer sentences have the advantage of flow, they require more focus from your reader. Long sentences work best when the reader’s interest is aroused.

To determine how many sentences are in an essay, note the following about the number of words in a single sentence:

• There is a 100 percent understanding of information when sentences are eight words or fewer.
• Your readers will have a 90 percent information understanding when your sentences average 14 words.
• Lastly, readers grasp only 10 percent of the information when sentences have an average of 43 words!

How many Sentences in a Paragraph

Paragraphs organize your writing. Usually, a paragraph outlines a single thought.

For your paragraph to have meaning, start with a topic sentence. Further, add supporting sentences. To strengthen the supporting sentences, add more details by using examples.

How many sentences are enough, or how many sentences are too many in a particular paragraph?

Well, any length is okay—however, most advocate for more than five sentences in academic papers.

The rule to govern your writing should be your teacher’s instructions and guidelines.

How Many Words in a Paragraph

There is no specified number of words in a paragraph because the length is dictated by many factors. The idea about the number of words should not supersede the meaning and information understanding of your essay.

However, an average sentence has 14-20 words. Therefore, with a paragraph having an average of 5-8 sentences, then it should have 70-160 words.

From our above explanation, we can try to deduce that a paragraph should not be too small or too large to fit a single argument or a point you are presenting.

Meaningful longer paragraphs in your essay depict you have a deeper understanding of your topic in discussion. However, shorter ones are more concise and easy to understand.

Tips when Writing Optimal Sentences

Each of your sentences in an essay should have a meaning and should communicate towards your essay topic.

In addition to determining how many sentences are in an essay, consider the following tips to write good sentences:

• Write in simple and plain English.
• Avoid using passive voice and general normalizations. Use strong verbs.
• Be concise.
• Use short sentences
• use transition words and semicolons when writing long sentences to link ideas
• Ensure your sentences are correctly punctuated
• Make sure your sentences have captivating ideas, and they inform your reader with logic.
• Incorporate both short and long sentences.

Besides your sentences being more straightforward, they should be persuasive enough. You observe this by minding your language choice, tone, and sentence structure. A good sentence presents an idea efficiently and establishes communication with your reader.

A good sentence has flow, paints a picture, and should summon a particular mood. This is where every character makes sense and why spaces are counted as characters because they contribute to the overall structure and meaning of the sentence.

Home ➔ Essay Length Questions ➔ How Long Is a Short Essay?

How Long Is a Short Essay?

If you’re wondering how long a short essay should be in words or pages, you probably don’t have a specific length requirement. The words “short,” “brief,” “concise,” or “succinct” here can imply two things — based on what you’re supposed to write. It can be a usual essay they give in schools or a supplemental admissions response to a prompt. Let’s discuss the first case — the school assignment.

According to Janet D. Stemwedel, a philosophy professor at San Jose State University, the answer is:

A short essay is 500 words long , which is about two pages with double spacing and one page with single spacing.

That number is based on the assumption that you use Times New Roman font (12pt) with standard margins. Various formatting styles have different requirements for those elements. Hence, always check if you must adhere to a particular set of instructions before writing.

Let’s consider another example. Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences provides some short essay samples that are personal statements and application essays written by students who wanted to apply for various programs. After looking through them (link in the references section), you can see that all of them are pretty much the same — about 500 words. Within that limit, the applicants had to explain why they wanted to pursue their educational careers in that college.

As for a common short essay, it has a traditional structure: an opening (hook, thesis, etc.), a body section, and a conclusion. In 500 words, you can develop and present an idea adequately, which means your paper will consist of 3–5 paragraphs. That’s generally ample to give background information, incorporate one central point, and wrap it up with a conclusion.

5-Paragraph Short Essay

Usually, five paragraphs are an unspoken minimum for a short essay to accomplish its objectives. This number of sections allows you to introduce your topic or claim, discuss or prove it, and provide the reader with a rational conclusion.

Note: To find out more about the five-paragraph structure, see our article — How to Structure an Essay .

20-60-20 is the best ratio for each main element. Your opening and closing paragraphs should be about the same length. And, the largest chunk should be taken by three body paragraphs.

What About a Short Answer Essay?

You will typically have to write this as a brief supplemental essay when applying to college. It should be smaller than a normal brief essay with an average length of 150–250 words.

Often, you won’t find any precise requirements for short answer essays (like a clearly stated word limit). But, if you’re sending it online, the system won’t let you exceed the recommended number — you just won’t be able to submit it.

One paragraph is a standard length for your answer, and whoever is examining it should be able to read it in about sixty seconds. That’s why you need to make the most out of every word. If your answer is lacking in length, it won’t be meaningful, and if it’s longer, they may even skip reading it.

A “short” essay doesn’t imply worse quality or less effort. Conversely, you need to make every word count and pay special attention to grammar, style, punctuation, and tone.

If you’re allowed to write a 250-word answer, it means the school wants to know more about your personality. Be sure to make your writing compelling for that overworked admissions board officer who has already read hundreds of these answers.

What’s the most suitable length for a brief answer essay? Well, aim for 125–150 words if the instructions don’t implicitly say to write more. This range is enough to elaborate on one of the extracurricular activities or your personal experience.

When composing it, don’t overthink what to tell the board about — be yourself. The foremost goal of this small essay is to show who you truly are and what values you have. It’s easy to see when a person is dishonest. A story about volunteering will not necessarily have a stronger effect than a piece about your science fair project.

Differences Between a Short Essay and a Short Answer

The table below summarizes and compares a regular short essay and an application answer to a question.

Final Tips on Succinct Essays

• Don’t overuse extensive quotes. First, such citations will take up lots of space in your essay, so might not have enough words left to write the actual piece. Express opinions of other people using your own words or use short quotes with further analysis.
• If you can pick the topic, don’t choose something that’s too broad — narrow it down so that you can write about adequately within the 500-word limit.
• Beware of plagiarism. Don’t disguise the viewpoints of others as your own. Besides getting a low grade, you also risk failing the entire course and being subjected to administrative penalties.

We hope now you have a better idea about short essays and their length. If you have more questions, try using our navigation or search bar.

A 5-paragraph structure would be the most common one for this word limit. Hence, to write a short essay, you can follow the guide we linked to earlier in the article. It describes in detail every step involved in essay writing, regardless of length.

It depends on your essay type. If you’re writing an admissions essay, they will give you one or several prompts. Otherwise, go for a topic the discussion of which can fit the word count.

When it comes to opinion pieces, the word “short” implies a broader range — somewhere between 200 and 2000 words. Some of the best short non-fiction essays are: “Phoning It In” by Stanley Bing, “Beer Can” by John Updike, “Of Revenge” by Francis Bacon, “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, “Assassins of The Mind” by Christopher Hitchens, “A Dog’s Eye View of Man” by James Thurber.

The list of references

• Short Essay Guidelines — by Professor Stemwedel
• Short Essay Samples — Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

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How to write a short essay

Published September 27, 2020. Updated May 17, 2022.

Short Essay Definition

A short essay is an essay that is generally 250–500 words in length. This type of essay is often required for standardized exams, scholarship applications, and personal essays for college admission.

Overview of a Short Essay

Although the word count is low, the stakes are often high, making the writing process a bit stressful for some. There are some useful steps that help craft a strong short essay, such as brainstorming, organizing and creating the first draft, and revising and editing. A strong short essay results in a focused thesis that is supported by a variety of evidence, examples, and commentary from the author. Keeping the ideas condensed, clear, and succinct helps in producing a stellar finished product.

Worried about your writing? Submit your paper for a Chegg Writing essay check , or for an Expert Check proofreading . Both can help you find and fix potential writing issues.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Many writers are tempted to skip this step of the writing process, but it’s extremely beneficial to organize your ideas before writing your first draft. Be sure to take the time to engage in this helpful exercise.

1. If the essay contains a prompt, reread the prompt at least three times

Make sure you understand what is expected of you for this piece of writing.

2. Highlight action words

Action words include words like explain, expound, argue, and other active verbs. Highlighting these words helps you to prepare your thoughts for what action you need to take in this particular essay.

3. Write out at least one potential thesis statement

A thesis statement is the main claim of your piece of writing. This step is crucial; it’s important that you, the writer, know what you’re writing about. The thesis statement will serve as an anchor for your entire paper.

4. Look back at the prompt

Do you need to include examples? How about a personal story? Research and evidence? Jot down some ideas that you can use to support your thesis. If needed, take some time to find relevant research from a variety of sources (online, books, textbooks, your journal, etc.).

5. Review your brainstorm results

Does everything you want to include relate back to your main point? If not, you need to either (a) reword your thesis statement so that it relates to all of your ideas or (b) eliminate the ideas that do not align with your thesis statement.

Step 2: Organize and Create Your First Draft

Now that you have all of your ideas planned out, make sure that your ideas build on each other as you construct your paragraphs. (Short essays are often one to four paragraphs in length.)

1. The first sentence in your short essay should be a hook

Here are some possible ideas for a hook:

• a statistic
• a controversial statement
• an overview of what you’ll discuss
• an anecdote
• an “imagine if” statement

Avoid using dictionary definitions as your hook because these tend to be overdone.

If you feel stuck: It’s often much easier to write the hook after you’ve written the rest of the essay. Oftentimes, writers begin to anchor their essay around their hook rather than the thesis statement, which can cause a lot of frustration.

2. The second sentence should be your thesis statement

In most other essays, this sentence might come later, but in a short essay you need to get to your point quickly.

3. Next, include the components that the prompt asks you to include

Look back at the highlighted action words in the prompt. The most important aspect is to make sure that you use transitions to help your reader see the correlation between your ideas. (Common transitions are words/phrases such as: additionally, conversely, therefore, however, and on the other hand.) Make sure to add your own ideas, commentary, etc.; do not simply add in evidence or examples without providing your thoughts on them.

4. Be sure to cite any sources you use in your paper

Introduce the evidence by mentioning either the person or source where the information came from. Don’t copy and paste URLs into your essay as they make it look messy; however, if you refer to a lot of outside sources, consider adding a works cited or references page.

5. Craft your conclusion sentences

Avoid summarizing what your essay is about. Instead, devise a “mic drop” sentence that challenges your readers. This last sentence could call readers to action, ask them to ponder or reimagine something, push them to see connections between your writing and their own life, etc.

6. If you haven’t yet written your hook, re-read your essay

Then, craft an opening line that introduces all of the components mentioned in your piece.

Step 3: Revise and Edit

It can be difficult for writers to complete this stage. Often, by this point writers find it tedious to read their work yet again. Even more daunting is the thought that they might have to delete or rearrange their ideas; however, it’s important to complete this part of the writing process.

The best way to avoid burnout at this stage is to start writing your essay a few days before the deadline; that way you don’t have to complete the whole writing process in just a few hours.

Revise means to look at your paper holistically (big ideas, organization) whereas edit means to look at each sentence (spelling errors, word choice, punctuation, etc.).

Do this step first; there’s no need to correct each sentence if you’re going to make big changes anyway.

Things to consider during revision:

• Does my hook introduce what will be discussed in my essay?
• Does every example/piece of evidence/explanation support my thesis?
• Is every example/piece of evidence/explanation in the best place?
• Could I rearrange any of the sentences so that my ideas build on each other in a clearer way?
• Does my conclusion sentence relate to my thesis?
• Does my conclusion avoid summarizing what I talked about in my essay?
• Should I keep my essay in one paragraph or should it be split up into a few paragraphs? (This might be introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs or perhaps introduction, first idea, second idea, and conclusion paragraphs.)

Depending on your answers to these questions, you may need to add, delete, or rearrange your ideas to strengthen the final draft of your essay.

After revising your writing, read over each sentence.

Things to consider during editing:

• Is everything spelled correctly?
• Does every sentence end in correct punctuation?
• Are there any run-on sentences? (Look for sentences that could be split into two by inserting a period or separated into parts by a semicolon.)
• Are there any sentence fragments? (Look for sentences that are incomplete.)

A strong short essay results in a focused thesis that is supported by a variety of evidence, examples, and commentary from the author. Keep your ideas condensed, clear, and succinct, and you’ll produce a fantastic finished product.

Before you turn in that paper, don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format , MLA format , or a style of your choice.

Example Short Essay

By Ashley Ingle. Ashley is earning her master’s degree in English and has been a high school English teacher for eight years. In her free time, she enjoys writing, eating French fries, and re-watching episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

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• How to write an essay outline | Guidelines & examples

How to Write an Essay Outline | Guidelines & Examples

Published on August 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay outline is a way of planning the structure of your essay before you start writing. It involves writing quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will cover in each paragraph , giving you a picture of how your argument will unfold.

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Table of contents

Organizing your material, presentation of the outline, examples of essay outlines, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay outlines.

At the stage where you’re writing an essay outline, your ideas are probably still not fully formed. You should know your topic  and have already done some preliminary research to find relevant sources , but now you need to shape your ideas into a structured argument.

Creating categories

Look over any information, quotes and ideas you’ve noted down from your research and consider the central point you want to make in the essay—this will be the basis of your thesis statement . Once you have an idea of your overall argument, you can begin to organize your material in a way that serves that argument.

Try to arrange your material into categories related to different aspects of your argument. If you’re writing about a literary text, you might group your ideas into themes; in a history essay, it might be several key trends or turning points from the period you’re discussing.

Three main themes or subjects is a common structure for essays. Depending on the length of the essay, you could split the themes into three body paragraphs, or three longer sections with several paragraphs covering each theme.

As you create the outline, look critically at your categories and points: Are any of them irrelevant or redundant? Make sure every topic you cover is clearly related to your thesis statement.

Order of information

When you have your material organized into several categories, consider what order they should appear in.

Your essay will always begin and end with an introduction and conclusion , but the organization of the body is up to you.

Consider these questions to order your material:

• Is there an obvious starting point for your argument?
• Is there one subject that provides an easy transition into another?
• Do some points need to be set up by discussing other points first?

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Within each paragraph, you’ll discuss a single idea related to your overall topic or argument, using several points of evidence or analysis to do so.

In your outline, you present these points as a few short numbered sentences or phrases.They can be split into sub-points when more detail is needed.

The template below shows how you might structure an outline for a five-paragraph essay.

• Thesis statement
• First piece of evidence
• Second piece of evidence
• Summary/synthesis
• Importance of topic
• Strong closing statement

You can choose whether to write your outline in full sentences or short phrases. Be consistent in your choice; don’t randomly write some points as full sentences and others as short phrases.

Examples of outlines for different types of essays are presented below: an argumentative, expository, and literary analysis essay.

Argumentative essay outline

This outline is for a short argumentative essay evaluating the internet’s impact on education. It uses short phrases to summarize each point.

Its body is split into three paragraphs, each presenting arguments about a different aspect of the internet’s effects on education.

• Importance of the internet
• Concerns about internet use
• Thesis statement: Internet use a net positive
• Data exploring this effect
• Analysis indicating it is overstated
• Students’ reading levels over time
• Why this data is questionable
• Video media
• Interactive media
• Speed and simplicity of online research
• Questions about reliability (transitioning into next topic)
• Evidence indicating its ubiquity
• Claims that it discourages engagement with academic writing
• Evidence that Wikipedia warns students not to cite it
• Argument that it introduces students to citation
• Summary of key points
• Value of digital education for students
• Need for optimism to embrace advantages of the internet

Expository essay outline

This is the outline for an expository essay describing how the invention of the printing press affected life and politics in Europe.

The paragraphs are still summarized in short phrases here, but individual points are described with full sentences.

• Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages.
• Provide background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press.
• Present the thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.
• Discuss the very high levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe.
• Describe how literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites.
• Indicate how this discouraged political and religious change.
• Describe the invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg.
• Show the implications of the new technology for book production.
• Describe the rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
• Link to the Reformation.
• Discuss the trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention.
• Describe Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation.
• Sketch out the large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics.
• Summarize the history described.
• Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period.

Literary analysis essay outline

The literary analysis essay outlined below discusses the role of theater in Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park .

The body of the essay is divided into three different themes, each of which is explored through examples from the book.

• Describe the theatricality of Austen’s works
• Outline the role theater plays in Mansfield Park
• Introduce the research question : How does Austen use theater to express the characters’ morality in Mansfield Park ?
• Discuss Austen’s depiction of the performance at the end of the first volume
• Discuss how Sir Bertram reacts to the acting scheme
• Introduce Austen’s use of stage direction–like details during dialogue
• Explore how these are deployed to show the characters’ self-absorption
• Discuss Austen’s description of Maria and Julia’s relationship as polite but affectionless
• Compare Mrs. Norris’s self-conceit as charitable despite her idleness
• Summarize the three themes: The acting scheme, stage directions, and the performance of morals
• Answer the research question
• Indicate areas for further study

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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• Write a College Essay
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• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

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You will sometimes be asked to hand in an essay outline before you start writing your essay . Your supervisor wants to see that you have a clear idea of your structure so that writing will go smoothly.

Even when you do not have to hand it in, writing an essay outline is an important part of the writing process . It’s a good idea to write one (as informally as you like) to clarify your structure for yourself whenever you are working on an essay.

If you have to hand in your essay outline , you may be given specific guidelines stating whether you have to use full sentences. If you’re not sure, ask your supervisor.

When writing an essay outline for yourself, the choice is yours. Some students find it helpful to write out their ideas in full sentences, while others prefer to summarize them in short phrases.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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How Long is a Paragraph? (College, High School, and Examples)

Many students and teachers define paragraphs according to their length. Some describe it to be at least half a page long, while others define it in terms of having at least three to four sentences.

Although the truth is that the coherence of thought and unity of ideas among individual sentences is what makes a paragraph .

In the book Lunsford and Connors, a paragraph is defined as “ a group of few sentences or an individual sentence that constitutes a unit.”

How many sentences or words are in a paragraph?

On average, most paragraphs are around 200 words long.

In academic writing, paragraphs are about seven sentences long. Here the paragraph follows a logical structure and focuses on providing evidence to develop an argument.

Fictional writers often don’t use traditional paragraph structure. To create narrative meaning, the writers lengthen or shorten the paragraphs dynamically.

Sometimes there are practical constraints in determining paragraph length. Magazine and newspaper readers are more likely to read short paragraphs that don’t extend more than a few lines.

Similarly, blog posts on websites tend to have smaller paragraphs. Mobile-friendly articles often have paragraphs just one or two sentences long.

A paragraph can be as short or as long as you want it to be. It can extend pages or can simply be made of a single word.

Example of a long paragraph

Traditional academic writing is known for longer paragraphs than any other writing form or style. They follow a structure of “ topic, support, and conclusion” for each paragraph.

Example of a traditional long paragraph:

King Henry VIII that died in 1509 is still considered to be the worst monarch in England’s History. Henry established the Church of England and broke his ties with the Roman Catholic Church, only so that he could divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon. He then dexterously planned the execution of his second wife Anne Boleyn after she could not produce a male heir for the throne.

The King also indulged in numerous affairs spectacularly and unmistakably. Henry was acutely aware of how to work the parliaments. The rule of law became a mere façade under his dominant autocratic rule. The King’s earlier fame as a champion of learning and light soon evolved into a reputation as a man of blood. Surrounded with adulation and monstrously egoistical, he somehow emerged as superficially successful in bringing religious and social reform.

Henry VIII always seemed to embody the true essence of the monarchy. He is still remembered by everyone for mostly his bad deeds but still, all things have amalgamated into a memory of greatness. Even though he was a true leader, he rarely understood where he was leading his country.

Many fictional writers were also known for writing long paragraphs.

For instance, James Joyce’s modernist novel Ulysses had massive paragraphs that flow into pages. One sentence in his book is known to be made up of around 4,500 words!

Example of a short paragraph

Short paragraphs have gained popularity with the rise of articles and blogs.

The attention span of most people in contemporary society has decreased.

That is why to hold the interest of the readers, the size of the paragraphs has also decreased.

It is even reflected in modern literature, where the length of paragraphs have shortened.

• Elvis presents all of the glamour, glitz, jumpsuits, and rhinestones you would expect from an Elvis film without the social complexity of a film from 2022 about the KING.

This small paragraph consisting of one sentence is a unit of an idea. The message and the review of the film Elvis are apparent just by reading this one introductory paragraph.

What is the average length of a paragraph?

The length of any paragraph depends on its functional density and language.

That means how “functionally,” the language can pack a statement. The average length of a paragraph is around three sentences long. This includes the introduction, supportive statement, and conclusion.

Can a paragraph be 3 sentences?

As long as the basic idea is getting translated, then the paragraph can be three sentences long. Or be any other number of sentences long.

The general rule of thumb is to start a new paragraph when transitioning to a new idea or thought.

The intended audience often alters the ideal paragraph length for readability. For instance, if it’s a children’s book, then shorter paragraphs are preferred.

Some writers use short paragraphs to emphasize a particular thought which can visually stand out among long paragraphs. Bringing the reader’s attention to its significance.

Can a paragraph be 4 sentences?

Yes, a paragraph can easily be four sentences long.

Four sentences in a paragraph will not be considered massive for most writing styles.

It is long enough to introduce a new idea and then develop it.

Depending on the genre, purpose, and mode of the content, the length of the paragraphs can vary.

Paragraphs can be organized in a variety of ways.

Here are some ways to organize a paragraph:

• a.      Description: Give precise details about what something smells, sounds, tastes, looks, or feels like. It can be done in the order of topic or of appearance.
• b.      Narration: Tell the story chronologically from start to finish like in the classic novels.
• c.      Process: Elaborate on how something functions in a step-by-step process.

Experiences writers and creative writers vary paragraph length to add literary effect , emphasize different points and improve the flow of writing. 

Common questions

Common questions from English writers.

What is the structure of a “good” paragraph?

Typically, the structure of a good paragraph will be a topic sentence (your idea), a number of facts that support the core idea (your supporting sentences), and the concluding sentence.

Inside this article

Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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How Many Paragraphs Should an Essay Have?

6-minute read

• 19th May 2023

You have an essay to write. You’ve researched the topic and crafted a strong thesis statement . Now it’s time to open the laptop and start tapping away on the keyboard. You know the required word count, but you’re unsure of one thing: How many paragraphs should you have in the essay? Gee, it would’ve been nice if your professor had specified that, huh?

No worries, friend, because in this post, we’ll provide a guide to how many paragraphs an essay should have . Generally, the number of paragraphs will depend on how many words and how many supporting details you need (more on that later). We’ll also explore the concept of paragraphs if you’re wondering what they’re all about. And remember, paragraphs serve a purpose. You can’t submit an essay without using them!

What Is a Paragraph?

You likely know what a paragraph is, but can you define it properly in plain English? Don’t feel bad if that question made you shake your head. Off the top of our heads, many of us can’t explain what a paragraph is .

A paragraph comprises at least five sentences about a particular topic. A paragraph must begin with a well-crafted topic sentence , which is then followed by ideas that support that sentence. To move the essay forward, the paragraph should flow well, and the sentences should be relevant.

Why Are Paragraphs Important?

Paragraphs expand on points you make about a topic, painting a vivid picture for the reader. Paragraphs break down information into chunks, which are easier to read than one giant, uninterrupted body of text. If your essay doesn’t use paragraphs, it likely won’t earn a good grade!

 How Many Paragraphs Are in an Essay?

As mentioned, the number of paragraphs will depend on the word count and the quantity of supporting ideas required. However, if you have to write at least 1,000 words, you should aim for at least five paragraphs. Every essay should have an introduction and a conclusion. The reader needs to get a basic introduction to the topic and understand your thesis statement. They must also see key takeaway points at the end of the essay.

As a rule, a five-paragraph essay would look like this:

• Introduction (with thesis statement)
• Main idea 1 (with supporting details)
• Main idea 2 (with supporting details)
• Main idea 3 (with supporting details)

Your supporting details should include material (such as quotations or facts) from credible sources when writing the main idea paragraphs.

If you think your essay could benefit from having more than five paragraphs, add them! Just make sure they’re relevant to the topic.

Professors don’t care so much about the number of paragraphs; they want you to satisfy the minimum word requirement. Assignment rubrics rarely state the number of required paragraphs. It will be up to you to decide how many to write, and we urge you to research the assigned topic before writing the essay. Your main ideas from the research will generate most of the paragraphs.

When Should I Start a New Paragraph?

Surprisingly, some students aren’t aware that they should break up some of the paragraphs in their essays . You need to start new paragraphs to keep your reader engaged.

As well as starting a new paragraph after the introduction and another for the conclusion, you should do so when you’re introducing a new idea or presenting contrasting information.

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Starting a paragraph often involves using transitional words or phrases to signal to the reader that you’re presenting a new idea. Failing to use these cues may cause confusion for the reader and undermine your essay’s coherence.

Let’s consider examples of transitional words and phrases in action in a conclusion. Note that the essay is about too much mobile device screen time and that transitional words and phrases can occur later in a paragraph too:

Thanks to “In conclusion” and “Additionally,” the reader clearly knows that they are now in the conclusion stage. They can also follow the logic and development of the essay more easily.

How Do I Know Whether I Have Enough Paragraphs?

While no magic number exists for how many paragraphs you need, you should know when you have enough to satisfy the requirements of the assignment. It helps if you can answer yes to the following questions:

• Does my essay have both an introduction and a conclusion?
• Have I provided enough main ideas with supporting details, including quotes and cited information?
• Does my essay develop the thesis statement?
• Does my essay adequately inform the reader about the topic?
• Have I provided at least one takeaway for the reader?

 Conclusion

Professors aren’t necessarily looking for a specific number of paragraphs in an essay; it’s the word count that matters. You should see the word count as a guide for a suitable number of paragraphs. As a rule, five paragraphs should suffice for a 1,000-word essay. As long as you have an introduction and a conclusion and provide enough supporting details for the main ideas in your body paragraphs, you should be good to go.

Remember to start a new paragraph when introducing new ideas or presenting contrasting information. Your reader needs to be able to follow the essay throughout, and a single, unbroken block of text would be difficult to read. Transitional words and phrases help start new paragraphs, so don’t forget to use them!

As with any writing, we always recommend proofreading your essay after you’ve finished it. This step will help to detect typos, extra spacing, and grammatical errors. A second pair of eyes is always useful, so we recommend asking our proofreading experts to review your essay . They’ll correct your grammar, ensure perfect spelling, and offer suggestions to improve your essay. You can even submit a 500-word document for free!

1. What is a paragraph and what is its purpose?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that expand on a single idea. The purpose of a paragraph is to introduce an idea and then develop it with supporting details.

2. What are the benefits of paragraphs?

Paragraphs make your essay easy to read by providing structure and flow. They let you transition from one idea to another. New paragraphs allow you to tell your reader that you’ve covered one point and are moving on to the next.

3. How many paragraphs does a typical essay have?

An essay of at least 1,000 words usually has five paragraphs. It’s best to use the required word count as a guide to the number of paragraphs you’ll need.

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What this handout is about

This handout will help you understand how paragraphs are formed, how to develop stronger paragraphs, and how to completely and clearly express your ideas.

What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116). Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.

How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?

Before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial relationships between all of the ideas in the paper.

The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas; this “germination process” is better known as brainstorming . There are many techniques for brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped. Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can cause your whole paper to crumble.

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be :

• Unified : All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph).
• Clearly related to the thesis : The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Coherent : The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Well-developed : Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119).

How do I organize a paragraph?

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples:

• Narration : Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. ( See an example. )
• Description : Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. ( See an example. )
• Process : Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. ( See an example. )
• Classification : Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. ( See an example. )
• Illustration : Give examples and explain how those examples support your point. (See an example in the 5-step process below.)

Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example

From the list above, let’s choose “illustration” as our rhetorical purpose. We’ll walk through a 5-step process for building a paragraph that illustrates a point in an argument. For each step there is an explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about human misconceptions of piranhas.

Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea.

Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans.

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation for the pervasiveness of the myth.

Elaboration — This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media.

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the previous sentences.

Example — For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman.

Step 4. Explain the example(s)

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence.

Explanation for example — Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph.

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next paragraph.

Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Finished paragraph

Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear. While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Troubleshooting paragraphs

Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence.

Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich—the meat or other filling—is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don’t know what to do with all the evidence you’ve given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below, notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point of all the evidence.

Original paragraph

Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Revised paragraph

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Once you have mastered the use of topic sentences, you may decide that the topic sentence for a particular paragraph really shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph. This is fine—the topic sentence can actually go at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph; what’s important is that it is in there somewhere so that readers know what the main idea of the paragraph is and how it relates back to the thesis of your paper. Suppose that we wanted to start the piranha paragraph with a transition sentence—something that reminds the reader of what happened in the previous paragraph—rather than with the topic sentence. Let’s suppose that the previous paragraph was about all kinds of animals that people are afraid of, like sharks, snakes, and spiders. Our paragraph might look like this (the topic sentence is bold):

Like sharks, snakes, and spiders, piranhas are widely feared. Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless . Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea

If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea. Watch our short video on reverse outlining to learn a quick way to test whether your paragraphs are unified. In the following paragraph, the final two sentences branch off into a different topic; so, the revised paragraph eliminates them and concludes with a sentence that reminds the reader of the paragraph’s main idea.

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. A number of South American groups eat piranhas. They fry or grill the fish and then serve them with coconut milk or tucupi, a sauce made from fermented manioc juices.

Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph

You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions ). Sometimes they are also helpful within the body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph. This is especially likely to be true within paragraphs that discuss multiple examples. Let’s take a look at a version of our piranha paragraph that uses transitions to orient the reader:

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, except in two main situations, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ instinct is to flee, not attack. But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls too low. A large number of fish may be trapped in a single pool, and if they are hungry, they may attack anything that enters the water.

In this example, you can see how the phrases “the first” and “the second” help the reader follow the organization of the ideas in the paragraph.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea. 2008. The St. Martin’s Handbook: Annotated Instructor’s Edition , 6th ed. New York: St. Martin’s.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Tips for writing short essays

Short essays usually involve answering a question related to course content and could be anywhere from 200 words to 750 words long, depending on the professor’s guidelines. The most challenging part of writing a short essay is the length, as you need to select the most important information to cover.

Steps 1-5 Introduction Argument Quotations Conclusion Step 6

Steps 1-5 of 6

1. What are you asked to do?

• Consider the question you have to answer/discuss
•  See if it can be broken into parts; make sure to cover each part in your answer

2. Brainstorm the arguments and points you feel would best answer the question

3. Choose two or three of the strongest points; develop a supporting point/example/reference/argument for each

4. Create an outline to structure these points and link them to the supporting information

5. Write a draft

Introduction

• Get straight to the point
• Introduce your thesis (main argument); incorporate the language of the question to frame your thesis
• Include a sentence that previews the points you will discuss
• Keep it short
• Be specific
• Provide minimal contextual detail
• Stay on topic
• Deal with points in the same order as they are listed in your preview sentence
• Use a clear topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph to introduce and summarize the paragraph’s point
• Ensure that the key words in the topic sentence echo the words used in your preview sentence so that the reader can see where and how your argument is progressing
• Use sentences, not bulleted points
• Choose quotations carefully—only use them if they back up your points, and do not quote too much (5-10% of paper at most)
• Always document your sources, even if they came from class readings
• Briefly sum up your argument and relate it to your thesis

Step 6 - revise and edit your draft:

• Be direct and concise; remove repetition; make every word count
• Stick to your topic: if there is an idea in your paper that does not serve to answer the question, remove it
• Check grammar and punctuation by reading the draft aloud
• Ensure you have documented all sources fully and correctly

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Ultimate Guide On How To Write A Short Essay

Dec 21, 2023 | Essay Help | 0 comments

Table of Contents

What is a short essay?

A short essay is an abbreviated version of a longer written work.

We can define a short essay as any short piece of writing that focuses on one subject or idea—a formal position (thesis statement) and its supporting arguments, for example—and develops it utilizing description, analysis, reflection, or commentary.

The writer typically focuses on one main idea in a short essay and provides details supporting this thought or opinion.

You can even write a short essay definition essay as a piece of writing that briefly describes an object, person, or thing and provides some details to explain the writer’s point of view towards it. In other words, it is a small essay having only 500 words or as per the instructions.

Essay Writing Structure

A short essay writing format is not so complicated. A short essay has a single argument or point written in paragraph form, generally containing at least two sentences. You can use this style of writing for most college essay writing process you’re assigned to write throughout your academic career.

Introduction Paragraph: Include the topic of the essay and the argument or point you plan to prove to your reader in one paragraph.

Body Paragraphs: Use evidence from your research in not only first body paragraph but all paragraphs to offer one element of your argument. You should try to include at least two body paragraphs, but three is preferred if there’s enough information out there for it!

Final Paragraph: Restate your argument and add any final thoughts you have about the topic.

Few academic short essay examples for a better understanding -Banning plastic, free education, pollution, advanced technologies, space study, etc.

What Are Short Essay Components?

Few high school writers find a short story essay more challenging than a long article. It is because when you write a short essay, you do not have enough scope to establish your argument. Hence it becomes essential to highlight your ideas in the crucial components, which are the following:

• Introduction Added with a Thesis Statement
• Body Paragraphs That Include
• A Topic Sentences
• Introspection
• Supporting Evidence

Thesis 

A clear thesis needs to be shorter and more compact. A strong thesis statement has to be at the end of the introductory paragraph. Remember, when you are writing an essay short, it has no room for playing with the short essay word count it should give a clear idea. Check out an example of a short essay.

Consider the intensity of the topic and determine the length wisely. Keep the citation to the point and limited. Remember, you need to keep some words for introspection.

While finding out evaluation essay topics that span centuries of developments, determining an appropriate essay length is key to thoroughly tracing key societal, technological, or biological shifts while still leaving room for thoughtful analysis.

Topic sentences 

To organize the points in your essay, introduce a new point in a topic sentence before you present it. Present these Process Analysis Essay Topics as stand-alone ideas.

Supporting evidence

Limit the number of your words in the sentences where you provide supporting evidence. Use statistics, examples, anecdotes, and famous quotes to support your main point.

If you need to use a lot of examples to explain your topic thoroughly, choose another one.

Topics that require many supporting facts don’t fit well into the short essay length.

Introspection 

During the short English essay, show your instructors how you can think critically and present strong arguments by reflecting on the topic. Before you begin, read your assignment prompt carefully and follow through with the directions.

For an essay with a word count of 250, you shouldn’t stray from the main point. Every sentence irrelevant to your thesis weakens your argument and takes up space that could otherwise bolster your points. Do not forget what exactly your key idea is.

Conclusion 

In order for your paragraph to have a strong ending, include a summary of the essay’s main argument and its implications in the future. This simple strategy will allow you to depict yourself as a forward-thinking student without losing focus on the essay’s main idea. Keep this paragraph to only a few sentences. It is not a great idea to exploit the number of words. 

Tips to Write a Short Essay

1. Get a topic to explore

 If your professor didn’t assign a topic, select one on your own. Make sure to do primary and secondary sources research well so that you can craft your paper well. To write an effective essay under 500 words, decide what type of essay is necessary to complete the assignment. For instance is it a academic essay, descriptive essays or any other. After you know your key points, identify what you want to address. This critical thinking and reserach help if you then outlined the primary goal of writing.

2. Plan your ideas 

It’s important to know how you’re going to paragraph structure your main ideas. For example, will you use a compare and contrast method or an analysis of two different points? To get more ideas on this, check out Writing a compare and contrast essay .

3. Select a single argument for the readers to understand 

• To write a short essay, the writer must focus on one central topic with little room to introduce tangentially related secondary topics. To avoid running out of space, choose a very specific topic.
• If you’ve been asked to write an essay, try to tailor it to suit the given prompt. For example, if you’re writing a college application essay about yourself, think of ways to talk about your positive qualities.

These approaches helps in attracting and maintaining not only reader’s attention but also reader’s interest.

4. Establish the thesis statement 

Your essay should be argumentative and clear enough for your audience to get the main point. In other words, they should be able to tell what your thesis statement is after reading your first sentence. A thesis needs to include a one-sentence summative statement about the main point of discussion and two paragraphs that support your argument.

5. Start working on the essay writing 

Start by writing an outline of your main ideas and then developing each idea in separate sentences. To write a good short essay, you should set your topic at the beginning of each paragraph, provide detailed examples and illustrations to support your argument and use the page length appropriately.

6. Begin with the introductory paragraph. 

While your introduction should contain a hook, the main body of your essay is where you draw attention to the whole discussion in detail. The quickest way to get from a blank page to a completed essay will be to write your introduction after writing the body of the paper. 100+ conclusion starters to impress your readers.

7. The conclusion

The conclusion should be brief, focusing on reiterating the main points covered over the whole paper. It is age-old advice to a student to avoid introducing new arguments in conclusion.

To make your essay concise, use sentences in an active voice. Using an active voice will convey a crisp and clear meaning. Write sentences that can explain a point directly without using too many words.

8. Add a finishing touch to your writing 

 Paragraphs in short essays should introduce one idea at a time. For a 500-word essay paper, focus on the most important answer first and the least essential last. The paper should contain relevant ideas, and you should also review the instructions.

Go for peer review if required and learn how to write a peer review !

Also, see how to write an argumentative essay .

Writing a Short Essay Format

The word count for a short essay assignment is usually between 200 and 500 words. However, this form will depend on individual teacher preferences. Taking into consideration that short essays are limited to 250 words, select an appealing broad topic and find relevant sources. Though there are no hard rules in terms of paragraphs, a good essay usually includes 2-5 paragraphs. A mini-essay with 250 words has to convey the essence of the essay prompt clearly. For guidance on structuring your essay effectively, you might find it helpful to learn “how to write an essay outline,” which can provide a roadmap for organizing your thoughts and ensuring that your essay is coherent and impactful.

Why Write Short Essays?

Short essays are beneficial for several reasons, including their ability to foster effective communication, enhance critical thinking, and improve professional communication skills.

Effective Communication : Writing short essays teaches the art of conveying messages in a clear, concise manner. This skill is crucial for effective communication, as it demands that you express your ideas without unnecessary elaboration or deviation.

Critical Thinking : The brevity required in short essays necessitates critical thinking. You must identify and focus on key points that support your central thesis, effectively separating crucial information from the irrelevant. This process sharpens your analytical skills, a vital aspect of critical thinking.

Professional Communication : In the professional world, the ability to articulate information succinctly is highly valued. Whether it’s crafting a persuasive email, drafting a project proposal, or summarizing a report, the skills developed through writing short essays are directly applicable to professional communication scenarios.

Writing Skills Development : Practicing short essays is an excellent way to improve various aspects of writing, such as grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and coherence. This practice contributes to overall writing proficiency, an essential component of both academic and professional success.

The Final verdict

So we can conclude that the short essay is one of the most usual academic writing assignments for the college students, which the student should compose after good research work. The student has to pick up well, and hence he must have a clear knowledge and understanding. 

Also, the students have to be quick with completing the research paper. It is important to cultivate the subject well to make the article more appealing and more acceptable to the readers. This way, the knowledge of the writer gets demonstrated too.

Although writing the article may seem easy now, remember it is even easier for a proficient writer to keep your task at bay.

So, just do not worry if you need help with your essay writing. Professional writers can help you with just any answer. They write content with unique qualities and write according to the desired length, following the technical details and guidelines of your professor. You can search for a good online essay helper or ask for a free sample short essay if available.

So use the tips mentioned and start writing an excellent and compact short essay paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you write a short essay.

Students can practice persuasive writing, critical thinking, and effective communication by writing short essays. Even though they are frequently given in school, short essays can be helpful in professional contexts for things like reports and project proposals.

How do you format a short essay?

The format for short essays should follow the instructions provided by your teacher or the specifications of your place of employment. Make sure you adhere to the word count specified in your assignment. Make sure the ideas in your essay flow logically from one to the next by utilizing powerful subject sentences, a clear thesis statement, and a succinct conclusion.

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How Long Is an Essay? The Ultimate Essay Length Guide

It’s safe to say that most students struggle with the word limit within an essay. Sometimes, it’s hard to find ideas for a text and meet the word requirement for every part of the paper. With so many factors influencing essay length, it’s easy to get confused.

Luckily, our custom-writing team has your back. In this article, our custom-writing experts will answer all your questions regarding essay length. We will also help you write papers with an ideal number of words!

📜 Is Essay Length Important?

📏 essay parts: recommended length.

• 🤔 How to Make Essays Shorter or Longer
• 📑 Essay Length & Formatting
• ❓ Different Academic Levels FAQ
• 📚 Essay Length: Different Types
• ⭐ Other Aspects
• 📝 Essay Examples

🔍 References

Often, the phrase “word limit” causes panic among students. After all, if an essay is too long or too short, your grade will be lowered. However, in reality, there’s nothing to worry about. When it comes to words, limitations are beneficial for both the students and the professors.

Let’s see what exactly it means.

Many people believe that the longer an essay is, the better. However, according to Frontiers, research shows that it’s a bias that couldn’t be further from the truth. A perfect-length paper is one that allows students to express their ideas and showcase their knowledge fully while keeping it clean and simple.

What Influences Essay Length

Various factors determine the length of an essay. Here are the most important ones:

Let’s start with the essentials. Usually, assignment length is given as a number of words rather than pages. Unless your supervisor or instructor mentions any specific limitations, it’s acceptable to be 10% below or above the word limit.

It’s also worth knowing the 80/20 rule . According to it, the body should constitute 80% of the text, while the intro and the conclusion take up the remaining 20%.

Keep reading to learn more about the recommended length of each essay part. The main numbers are shown in the table below:

How Long Should an Introduction Be?

An introduction is the first section and the face of your essay. For that reason, it needs to be compelling and well-thought-out. Usually, it consists of 3 to 5 sentences or 50 to 80 words .

An introduction must have a hook, some background information, and a thesis statement. While the attention grabber and the thesis are usually brief, you may need 2 to 3 sentences for the background. To avoid going overboard, try to stay on topic and don’t add any filler.

How Long Is a Body Paragraph in an Essay?

The length of a body paragraph may vary. Sometimes, it can be limited to a single sentence. In other cases, it may take up a whole page. Usually, it’s recommended to have between 80 and 200 words (5-8 sentences) per body paragraph.

Since the paper’s body contains the most information, it’s necessary to explain and support your ideas properly. That’s why it’s no big deal if your body paragraphs go slightly over the word limit.

How Many Body Paragraphs Should Be in an Essay?

Like the word count, the number of paragraphs is determined by the type of paper and its topic. The minimum is 1. Generally, however, the body consists of 3-5 paragraphs , 1 for each argument.

To improve your paper’s structure, ensure that there are as many paragraphs as there are points in your thesis statement. Each one should have a purpose and support your arguments. If there’s any fluff, it’s better to get rid of it.

How Long Should a Conclusion Be?

Like the introduction, the conclusion consists of 50-80 words . It’s essential to keep it simple and only mention the central ideas. A weak concluding sentence may affect the reader’s understanding of the topic and spoil the overall impression of your paper.

🤔 How to Make Essays Shorter or Longer: Best Tips

Undoubtedly the essay’s content is more important than the number of words you use. But there are times when students go more than 10-15% below or over the limit. Is there a solution to this problem?

Yes, there is! In this section, we will share the most useful tips to help you stay on point with your paper’s word count.

How to Make Essays Longer

Since having enough words is essential for a good grade, we’ve collected the best tips that can help you lengthen your essay without teachers noticing:

• Use relevant quotations.  You don’t need to litter your essay with citations, but using them whenever appropriate is a great idea. For instance, if you’re working on a book analysis, referencing a couple of direct quotes from the source text will make your essay more credible and increase the word count.

• Give examples.  Go through the claims in your paper and provide additional evidence where possible. It will make your essay longer and more informative.

• Use transitional expressions.  Adding transition words and phrases is a natural way of increasing the number of words. It will also improve your essay’s readability. 

• Add more references.  Providing references is always a good idea when writing a formal essay. That way, you will increase the number of words and make your paper more credible.

• Work on your descriptions.  If you struggle to develop new ideas, go over what you’ve already written and consider adding some descriptive words. It’s a great idea for creative essays to include more imagery. 

How to Shorten an Essay

Another struggle of academic writing is cutting down the number of words in your essay to meet a set limit. We are here to tell you that it’s not that hard. Writing straightforwardly and keeping your sentences short is a key to concise content. Here are several strategies you may use to tighten a lengthy essay:

• Choose the active voice.  It takes up less space than passive voice. Using it also makes your writing more professional and compelling.

• Remove needless transitions.  Transitions can indeed maintain the flow of the paper. But some transitional phrases can be easily removed.

• Get rid of unnecessary adverbs and adjectives.  Some students tend to overuse adjectives and adverbs. It adds wordiness to their writing.

• Avoid running starts.  Some students like to start their sentences with long phrases like: “there are,” “it is believed,” or “the fact that.” Getting rid of them makes texts much more concise.

• Delete “that.”  In most cases, the word “that” can often be easily removed from texts.

Another cool trick is to use our summarizing tool as essay shortener. Try it out!

📑 How Long Is an Essay Depending on Formatting?

As we mentioned earlier, the essay’s length is usually limited by the number of words. But sometimes, a teacher may ask you to write a specific number of pages. This is trickier because the amount of text you can place on the page depends on the formatting. By using the font size and spacing properly, it’s possible to make the paper visually longer or shorter. Let’s discuss it in more detail.

Essay Spacing: How Does It Affect the Length?

• Adjusting the spacing between lines.  Try to make the changes as slight as possible. For instance, if you were asked to double-space the paper, use 2.1 or 2.2 spacing instead. Another option is to slightly extend spaces between paragraphs.
• Extending the margin size.  You can increase the right and bottom margins by a quarter to make very subtle changes in length. For example, if the margins are 1 inch , you can set them at 1.25 inches instead. 
• Increasing the spacing between characters.  It is less noticeable than the line spacing. Still, try not to overdo it and keep the numbers between 1.2 and 1.5 . 
• Adjusting the footer.  Add a footer with page numbers to stretch the bottom margin even further.
• Lengthening the header.  You can extend your header by adding your name, e-mail address, or other relevant information. Another option is double-spacing it.

Length of an Essay: Font and Size

• Using the right type of font.  If your instructor didn’t specify which font you should use, go for the bigger ones. We suggest Arial, Bangla Sangam MN, Cambria, or Quicksand. They will make your text look longer without being too on the nose.  
• Using a bigger font size.  This is another technique that can come in handy. However, be careful and don’t increase your font by more than 0.1-0.5 pt.  
• Increasing the size of periods and commas.   This is one of the less noticeable tricks you can use. For instance, if your paper’s font is 12 pt. , increase it to 14 pt. only for punctuation marks. Italicizing periods and commas will also add several lines of length to your essay. 

What to Do if There Are No Length Guidelines

Sometimes a teacher sets no word limit for a written work. What to do in that case? Well, first, you can ask your professor to confirm if they have simply forgotten to mention it. But if that’s not the case, here are a couple of helpful solutions:

• Think of the paragraph number.  Sometimes, you may be given the number of paragraphs instead of words. In that case, you can decide on the number of words depending on how many paragraphs you have. 
• Think about the topic’s complexity.  The length of your paper is also directly dependent on the theme. If the topic is simple, 4-5 paragraphs will be enough. A more complex issue may require an in-depth explanation, so your essay can be 6-8 paragraphs long.

❓ Essay Length for Different Academic Levels FAQ

The length of the elementary school essay is usually short. Usually, a paper needs to have around 3-5 paragraphs, with 4-5 sentences per paragraph. Primary school essays can be 1-2 paragraphs long.

The word limit for a middle school essay is usually between 300 to 1000 words. The most common essay length is 500 words, which is about 5 paragraphs. However, it may differ from school to school.

The length of the high school essay may differ depending on the school and the complexity of the task itself. Usually, however, a paper can be between 300 to 1000 words long.

The length of the undergraduate college essay often falls within the range of 1500 to 2100 words. It translates into roughly 5-7 pages. 5 pages is the most common essay length at this level.

When it comes to the graduate school admission essay, the word limit is usually between 500 and 1000 words. It’s possible to go slightly over or below the set limit; however, it’s best to stick to the requirements as close as possible.

📚 How Long Should an Essay Be: Different Types

Now, let’s talk about different types of essays. How long should they be? Keep reading to learn about the length of college essays, short and extended ones, scholarship essays, and research papers.

How Long Is a College Essay?

When it comes to a college essay, it’s more important to stick to the word limit than with any other paper. Some teachers may refuse to read it unless it meets all the requirements.

The shortest limit for a college essay is about 250 words which is the shortest length of a Common App personal statement. It’s also rare to see a good college essay with over 650 words . So, an average piece usually has between 150 and 650 words ; you can go over or below the limit by 50.

How Long Is a Paragraph in College Essays?

A college essay usually consists of 4-5 paragraphs . One paragraph takes about 1/3 of the page, which is roughly 5 sentences . Each sentence corresponds with one of the following components:

• Topic sentence.
• Explanation.
• Transitions.

College Essay Length Requirements: Top 5 Schools

To understand the requirements for a college application essay even better, take a look at the table below. It showcases the top 5 schools and their length criteria for personal statements. Keep it in mind when writing your college essay:

How Long Is a Short Essay?

A short essay is usually 500 words long. Using 12pt Times New Roman font with standard margins and double spacing should result in about 2 pages of text.

Extended Essay Length

An extended essay is different from a short or a standard one. It requires extensive research and thorough explanation. That’s why the upper limit for this kind of essay is 4000 words . In this case, a typical essay length is 3500 words or 18 paragraphs .

Scholarship Essay Length

Generally, scholarship papers have a limit of 500 words , which is 1 page in length. Most scholarship programs provide additional requirements that indicate the minimum number of words or pages. If there are no set limitations, you can stick to the limit.

How Long Is a Research Paper?

Typically, a research paper is between 4000 and 6000 words long. Sometimes, there are shorter papers, which have around 2000 words, or in-depth ones with over 10000 words.

⭐ Other Aspects of Essay Length

When it comes to essay length, many different aspects come into play. Here, we’ve gathered all the essential information regarding an essay’s number of pages, paragraphs, words, and references.

How Many Paragraphs Are in an Essay?

Sometimes, it is more convenient to count paragraphs rather than words. Let’s now figure out how many paragraphs are in essays of different lengths. You may also check out the examples to see what such an essay looks like:

How to Count Paragraphs in an Essay Based on Word Count

You can also count the number of body paragraphs for your essay using the formula below:

Number of body paragraphs (average) = (TWC – TWC*0.16)/100

• TWC – total word count
• 0.16 – an average percentage of total word count for introduction and conclusion
• 100 – an average number of words per paragraph

How Many Pages Are in an Essay?

The number of pages in your essay may vary from subject to subject. But it’s still possible to determine the number of pages based on word count. Check out the numbers below to see the conversions with bonus examples:

You can also use a specialized calculator such as Word Counter to determine a number of pages in your essay.

What Does an Essay Look Like when Typed?

You might be wondering: what do essays of different lengths look like when typed? Well, here’s the table where you can find out the metrics for single- and double-spaced papers.

How Many Pages Are in a Handwritten Essay?

In case you need to turn in a handwritten paper, you should check out the table below.

Counting Words in a Handwritten Essay

If you don’t have enough time to count the words in your handwritten essay one by one, here’s what you can do:

• Count how many words there are in one line. Take the first and last lines and a line in the middle of a page. Let’s say there are 15, 14, and 15 words in them. Then, the average number of words per line is 15.
• Next, count how many lines there are on one page. Let’s say there are 17 lines on a page.
• Take the number of words per line and multiply it by the number of lines per page. In our case, we multiply 15 by 17. So, there are 255 words per page on average.
• Finally, multiply the number of words per page by the number of pages. If your essay has 3 pages, it is approximately 765 words long.

How Long Does it Take to Write an Essay?

It is crucial to know how long writing will take you, especially if you are working on an exam essay or just short on time. Note that you need to consider the time for typing and researching necessary to complete a piece. Research time may vary. Usually, it’s 1-2 hours for 200-250 words .

Below, we’ve gathered the average writing time for average and slower writing speed:

And here are the results in pages:

How Many References Does an Essay Need?

Another essential part of any composition is the reference list. Different academic levels require different references. You’ll find out how many of them should be in your paper in the table below!

📝 Essay Examples: Different Length

Finally, we’ve gathered some excellent sample essays of different lengths. Make sure to check them out!

We also recommend you check out our free essay samples sorted by pages:

• 1-Page Essay Examples
• 2-Page Essay Examples
• 3-Page Essay Examples
• 4-Page Essay Examples
• 5-Page Essay Examples
• 10-Page Essay Examples
• 20-Page Essay Examples
• 30-Page Essay Examples
• 40-Page Essay Examples
• 50-Page Essay Examples

Now you know all about essay length, word limits, and ways to lengthen or shorten your text. If you know other interesting tricks, make sure to share them in a comment! Good luck with your writing assignments!

You may also like:

• How to Write a Process Analysis Essay: Examples & Outline
• How to Write a Precis: Definition, Guide, & Examples 
• How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay: Examples & Guide
• How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline: Template & Examples
• How to Write a Formal Essay: Format, Rules, & Example
• Word Limits and Assignment Length: Massey University
• The Paragraph in the College Essay: California State University, Long Beach
• Introductions & Conclusions: The University of Arizona Global Campus
• How Long Should a Paragraph Be?: Daily Writing Tips
• Paragraphing (Length Consistency): Purdue University
• Hitting the Target Word Count in Your College Admission Essay: Dummies.com
• How Long Should Your College Essay Be? What is the Ideal Length?: College Vine
• Writing Personal Statements Online: Issues of Length and Form: Penn State University
• Pen Admissions: Essays: University of Pennsylvania
• Essay Questions: University of Michigan
• Essay Structure: Harvard University
• Components of a Good Essay: University of Evansville
• Write Your Essay: UNSW Sydney
• College Writing: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 21 Helpful and Easy Tips to Make an Essay Longer: Seventeen
• How to Make a College Paper Longer: ThoughtCo
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Tiny Memoir Contest for Students: Write a 100-Word Personal Narrative

We invite teenagers to tell a true story about a meaningful life experience in just 100 words. Contest dates: Nov. 6 to Dec. 4, 2024.

By The Learning Network

Illustrations from Modern Love’s Tiny Love Stories , the inspiration for this contest.

Can you tell a meaningful and interesting true story from your life in just 100 words? That’s the challenge we pose to teenagers with our 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest, a storytelling form popularized by Modern Love’s Tiny Love Stories series .

After running this contest for two years, receiving a total of more than 25,000 entries, and honoring dozens of excellent miniature teen-written memoirs, we have discovered the answer is a resounding yes .

So, we challenge you to try it yourself.

We’re not asking you to write to a particular theme or to use a specific structure or style, but we are looking for short, powerful stories about a particular moment or event in your life. We want to hear your story, told in your unique voice, and we hope you’ll experiment with style and form to tell a tale that matters to you, in a way you enjoy telling it.

And, yes, it’s possible to do all that in only 100 words. For proof, just look at last year’s 15 winning entries . We also have a step-by-step guide full of advice that is grounded in 25 excellent 100-word mentor texts, as well as a rehearsal space , published for our first year’s contest, that has over 1,000 student-written mini memoirs. Because that space was so successful, we’re keeping it open for this year’s contest. We hope students will use it to get inspiration, experiment and encourage each other.

Take a look at the full guidelines and related resources below. Please post any questions you have in the comments and we’ll answer you there, or write to us at [email protected]. And, consider hanging this PDF one-page announcement on your class bulletin board.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Resources for Teachers and Students
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Submission Form

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