The problem with long paragraphs is that they look hard to read. And because they look hard to read, people don’t read them.
That’s right: Readers skip long paragraphs.
So if your paragraph is too long, then you might as well stamp on it in red ink, “Don’t bother reading this. Our lawyers made us add this stuff. We formatted it this way on purpose so you’d skip it.”
The solution? Write short paragraphs.
But how short?
How long is too long?
So, how long should your paragraphs be? Here are four targets that have been proven in the lab. To get your paragraphs read, keep them to:
- One to two sentences
People read further into a piece if the paragraphs are short, according to The Poynter Institute’s Eyetrack III study.
How short? One to two sentences, according to the news industry’s think tank on how to write to get read.
The Neilson Norman Group agrees. According to their research, people tend to read only the first two sentences in a paragraph.
So why write a third?
Another way to measure: Pass the 1-2-3-4-5 Test, a creation of the Medill School of Journalism’s Jon Ziomek. That is, your paragraph should contain:
- 1 idea, expressed in
- 2 to 3 sentences (now updated to 1 to 2, but that doesn’t sound as good! 😂),
- taking up no more than 4 to 5 lines on the page
Pro tip: Email your message to yourself and review it on your phone. If it passes the 1-2-3-4-5 test on the small screen, then you’re good to go.
“Long paragraphs are a visual predictor that a story won’t work,” Ziomek says. “You must cut the meat into little pieces.”
- 36 words on average
That’s the average length of a paragraph in The New York Times, according to a Wylie Communications’ benchmarking study.
If it’s good enough for the Times …
- First paragraph: 25 words
With the lead paragraph, you have a choice. You can build a bridge that your readers can easily walk over to get into your message. Or you can erect an obstacle that readers have to climb over to get into your piece.
They’re not going to scale a wall.
So what’s a good length for a bridge? 25 words, according to the Circulation Managers Association Education Committee.
“‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,’” says John McIntyre, an American journalist.
“The creation of the universe has a 10-word lead! So why do you need 40 words to say that your chief accountant has just completed the necessary certification? The answer, of course, is you don’t.”
Remember, you don’t have to tell the whole story in the lead. That’s what the rest of the piece is for!
Keep paragraphs short and readable.
I know! I know! Your third-grade teacher told you paragraphs should be five sentences long.
The good news is, you have successfully graduated from third grade. (More good news: Your third-grade teacher will likely never read your message!)
Now, as a professional communicator, your job is to write messages that draw readers in and move them to act. Short paragraphs are one good step for doing that.
(Note: The paragraphs in this column average 1.7 sentences, 17 words and one to four lines on my phone.)
Ann Wylie (WylieComm.com) helps PR professionals Catch Your Readers through writing training. Her workshops take her from Hollywood to Helsinki, helping communicators in organizations like Coca-Cola, Toyota, Eli Lilly and Salesforce draw readers in and move them to act. Never miss a tip: FreeWritingTips.wyliecomm.com.
Copyright © 2025 Ann Wylie. All rights reserved.
Illustration credit: premreuthai
