Short Story Word Counter — Check Against Submission Limits

Paste a story or a chapter to see its length against the categories publishers and competitions actually use. Nothing is uploaded, which matters for unpublished fiction.

The categories publishers use

Fiction is sorted by length more rigidly than most writers expect, and the boundaries are not arbitrary — they follow what fits a magazine, an anthology or a printed book. Flash fiction runs under 1,000 words. A short story is roughly 1,000 to 7,500. Novelettes occupy 7,500 to 17,500, novellas 17,500 to 40,000, and anything past 40,000 is a novel.

The awkward lengths are real. A 9,000-word piece is too long for most short-story markets and too short for anywhere publishing novellas, and writers discover this after finishing rather than before.

Genre moves the novel figures considerably. Debut literary and commercial fiction is usually expected at 80,000 to 100,000 words. Science fiction and fantasy tolerate 100,000 to 120,000, sometimes more for epic fantasy. Middle grade sits at 30,000 to 55,000 and young adult at 55,000 to 80,000.

  • Flash fiction — under 1,000 words
  • Short story — 1,000 to 7,500
  • Novelette — 7,500 to 17,500
  • Novella — 17,500 to 40,000
  • Novel — 40,000 and up; debut literary usually 80,000 to 100,000

Why submission limits are enforced

Magazines and anthologies state a maximum because they are buying a fixed number of pages, and a story that is a thousand words over displaces something else. Many will not read past the limit, and some filter on it before a human sees the submission.

Competitions are stricter still, because the limit is part of the rules and disqualification is automatic. Check whether the title and any epigraph are included — practice varies and the rules usually say.

Word count and manuscript pages

Publishers count words rather than pages, because pages depend on formatting. The standard manuscript format — 12pt Courier or Times New Roman, double spaced, one-inch margins — comes to roughly 250 words per page, which is where the old convention of estimating by page count came from.

For a printed book the conversion is different again, around 300 words a page for a typical trade paperback, so an 80,000-word novel runs to about 270 pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a short story?

Between 1,000 and 7,500 words. Under 1,000 is flash fiction; above 7,500 you are into novelette territory, which is a much harder length to place.

How long should a first novel be?

For debut literary or commercial fiction, 80,000 to 100,000 words. Science fiction and fantasy tolerate 100,000 to 120,000. Substantially over that is the most common reason a debut manuscript is rejected unread.

Do competitions really enforce the word limit?

Yes, and usually by automatic disqualification rather than by judgement. Check whether the title and any epigraph count toward it, because practice varies between competitions.

How many manuscript pages is 5,000 words?

About 20 pages in standard manuscript format — double spaced, 12pt, one-inch margins, roughly 250 words to a page. A printed trade paperback fits closer to 300.

Is my story uploaded anywhere?

No. It is counted inside this browser tab and never transmitted or stored, which matters for unpublished work you intend to submit.

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