Quick answer: A cover letter should be 250–400 words, three to four paragraphs, and no longer than one page (half a page to a full page is ideal). Internship and email cover letters can be shorter (150–300 words), while senior, executive, and academic letters can run longer when the employer expects detail. Format it in a clean font like Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Times New Roman at 11 or 12 pt, with single spacing, a blank line between paragraphs, and 1-inch margins, matching your resume.
Hiring managers often spend well under a minute on a cover letter, so length matters. Too short and you look uninterested; too long and the best part of your letter gets skimmed or skipped. The sweet spot is long enough to make your case and short enough to read in one coffee sip.
Formatting matters too. Nobody gets hired because of their font, but plenty of cover letters get skimmed less kindly because the text is tiny, cramped, or set in something that looks like a birthday party invitation.
This guide covers exactly how long a cover letter should be (in words, paragraphs, and pages, by situation), then every formatting number you need: font choice, font size, line spacing, margins, and page size, plus a checklist for fitting a long letter onto one page without making it unreadable.
The Cover Letter Formatting Cheat Sheet
If you just want the numbers, here they are:
- Font: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Cambria, Garamond, or Times New Roman
- Body font size: 11–12 pt (10.5 pt only if you really must)
- Your name at the top: about 14–18 pt
- Line spacing: single (1.0) to 1.15
- Paragraph spacing: one blank line (or about 6–12 pt "space after") between paragraphs
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides (0.75 inch is acceptable; around 0.5 inch is the practical minimum)
- Alignment: left-aligned, not justified
- Page size: US Letter (8.5" x 11") in the US and Canada; A4 in most other countries
- Length: one page, about 250–400 words, three to four paragraphs
- File type: PDF unless the employer asks for Word
Now for the "why" behind each one, starting with the question most people ask first.
How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?
The standard guidance from career sites and recruiters is consistent:
- Words: about 250–400 words
- Paragraphs: three to four (an opening, one or two body paragraphs, and a closing)
- Pages: half a page to one full page, never more unless the employer asks
- Reading time: about one to two minutes
A simple structure keeps you in range:
- Opening (40–70 words): the role you're applying for and a one-line hook
- Body (150–250 words, one or two paragraphs): two or three achievements that match the job's top needs
- Closing (40–70 words): why this company, a thank-you, and a next step
For help with what goes inside those paragraphs, read how to write a cover letter.
Cover letter length by situation
- Internship: 200–300 words. Focus on your education, projects, and enthusiasm. See internship resume
- Entry-level or first job: 250–350 words. See entry-level cover letter
- Experienced professional: 300–400 words, with two or three quantified achievements
- Senior or executive roles: up to about 400–500 words, still on one page, when you need to cover leadership scope and results
- Career change: 300–400 words. Use the extra space to explain your "why" and transferable skills. See career change cover letter
- Email cover letter: 150–250 words in the email body. See sample email for job application
- Internal application or referral: 150–300 words, since the reader may already know you. See letter of interest for an internal position
- Online application text box: follow the character limit. Many forms allow 2,000–4,000 characters, which is roughly 300–650 words, but shorter is usually better
- Academic jobs: often one to two pages, because search committees expect detail on research and teaching. Follow the job ad
- Federal or government jobs: follow the posting's instructions exactly, as some ask for no cover letter at all
Should a cover letter be one page?
Yes, in almost all cases. One page is the expected maximum for business, nonprofit, healthcare, tech, and most other fields. If your letter spills onto a second page, cut words before you shrink the font (see the one-page checklist below).
Can a cover letter be longer than one page?
Rarely. Two-page letters are acceptable mainly for academic positions, some senior executive searches, and applications that explicitly request detailed responses to selection criteria. For everything else, a second page usually means you're repeating your resume.
Is 500 words too long?
It's above what most guides recommend. A 500-word letter can technically fit on one single-spaced page, but it usually means you're repeating your resume. Try cutting any sentence that starts with "As you can see from my resume..." The hiring manager can, in fact, see it.
Can a cover letter be too short?
Yes. A three-sentence letter can look rushed or uninterested, unless it's an email body or the employer asked for something brief. Aim for at least 150 words so you have room for one specific achievement and one reason you want this job.
Best Cover Letter Fonts
The golden rule: use the same font as your resume. Your cover letter and resume are a matching set, and switching fonts between them looks like you assembled your application from two different people's drafts.
Safe, professional sans-serif fonts
Sans-serif fonts (no little "feet" on the letters) look modern and read well on screens:
- Calibri: Clean and compact; long the default in Microsoft Word.
- Arial: Universal and available on almost every device.
- Helvetica: Similar to Arial; on Windows machines without it, Arial is the fallback.
- Lato, Roboto, or Open Sans: Good free options in Google Docs.
Classic serif fonts
Serif fonts feel traditional and work well for law, finance, academia, and other formal fields:
- Georgia: A serif designed for screens, so it stays readable as a PDF.
- Cambria: Sturdy and readable at small sizes.
- Garamond: Elegant and slightly condensed, so more fits on a page. It also looks smaller, so 12 pt is safer than 11.
- Times New Roman: Perfectly acceptable, if a little expected. Like Garamond, its letters run small, so 12 pt is a good choice.
Fonts to avoid
- Comic Sans, Papyrus, and novelty fonts. (Your cover letter is not a lemonade stand sign.)
- Script or handwriting fonts. Hard to read and may confuse applicant tracking systems.
- Very thin or light weights. They can nearly vanish when printed or viewed on a dim screen.
- Unusual downloaded fonts. If the reader's computer does not have the font and you sent a Word file, it may be replaced with something random. Exporting to PDF avoids this.
What Cover Letter Font Size Should You Use?
11 vs 12 pt
Both are correct. 12 pt is the traditional choice and is very easy to read. 11 pt is slightly more compact and fits more on the page, which helps if you are right at the one-page limit. Pick whichever suits your font: compact fonts like Garamond and Times New Roman look better at 12, while wider fonts like Arial and Verdana are comfortable at 11.
Is 10 pt too small?
For most fonts, yes, 10 pt starts to feel cramped, especially for readers looking at a PDF on a laptop. Career guides generally treat 10 pt as the absolute floor and 10.5 pt as borderline. If you are shrinking the font to fit, the better fix is to cut words, not shrink letters.
What about 13 pt or more for the body?
Going bigger to fill the page usually backfires. Large body text looks like padding, a bit like writing your essay in 14 pt font the night before it was due. If your letter is short, that is fine. A tight, half-page letter is better than a stretched one.
Header and name sizes
- Name: about 14–18 pt, bold if you like.
- Contact line: the same size as the body or slightly smaller (10–11 pt).
- No other headings needed. Cover letters do not need section titles like "Introduction."
Spacing for Cover Letters
Spacing is where most "this looks off" problems come from. Here is how to get it right.
Line spacing: single, not double
Cover letters should be single-spaced (1.0), or 1.15 if you have room and want a lighter look. Double spacing is for school essays and manuscripts. On a cover letter it doubles the length and makes it look like you are stretching for content.
Paragraph spacing
Put one blank line between paragraphs and between each block: your header, the date, the employer's details, the greeting, each body paragraph, and the sign-off. In Word or Google Docs, you can do this cleanly by setting "space after" each paragraph instead of pressing Enter twice.
Alignment
Left-align everything, including your header if your resume header is left-aligned (centered headers are fine if they match your resume). Avoid justified text: it stretches the spacing between words unevenly and creates "rivers" of white space through your paragraphs.
White space is your friend
Short paragraphs of three to five lines are much easier to scan than one dense block. If any paragraph runs past six or seven lines, split it.
Cover Letter Margins
The standard is 1 inch on all four sides. It frames the text and leaves comfortable room for printing.
If your letter is spilling a few lines onto page two, you can reduce margins to 0.75 inch, and some guides allow going as low as 0.5 inch. Below that, the page starts to look crowded and some printers may clip the edges. Whatever you choose, keep the margins even on both sides.
Page size matters too. Use US Letter (8.5" x 11") for jobs in the US and Canada and A4 for the UK, Europe, and most other regions. A letter formatted for the wrong paper size can print with odd gaps or cut-off lines.
How to Fit Your Cover Letter on One Page (Without Making It Unreadable)
Try these fixes in this order, from best to last resort:
- Cut repetition. Delete anything that restates your resume without adding context.
- Merge or remove a paragraph. Three tight paragraphs beat five loose ones.
- Shorten the header. Put your contact details on one line separated by vertical bars.
- Drop the employer's street address if you are applying online or by email.
- Reduce paragraph spacing slightly (for example, from 12 pt to 6 pt after).
- Reduce margins to 0.75 inch.
- Drop from 12 pt to 11 pt. Do not go below 10.5 pt.
(Switches to serious face.) Whatever you change, export to PDF and look at the final page at 100% zoom before sending. Formatting that looks fine while editing can shift when exported, and a single orphaned sign-off line on page two is the most avoidable mistake in job hunting.
Formatting Tips by Tool
Microsoft Word
- Margins: Layout > Margins.
- Line spacing: Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing (set to 1.0 and remove extra "space before").
- Export: File > Save As > PDF.
Google Docs
- Margins: File > Page setup.
- Line spacing: Format > Line & paragraph spacing > Single.
- Export: File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf).
Our full guide to cover letter format in Google Docs includes a copy-and-paste template.
Make It Match Your Resume
Consistency is what makes an application look professional at a glance. Match these four things:
- Font family
- Body font size (or within 1 pt)
- Header style (copy your resume header directly)
- Margins and accent color
A resume can use slightly smaller text or more structure than the letter. That is fine. What matters is that the two look like they belong together. Want to know how the two divide the work? Our CV vs cover letter guide explains how the two documents should work as a pair.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a cover letter be?
About 250–400 words, in three to four paragraphs, on no more than one page. Internship and email cover letters can be shorter, and senior or academic letters can be longer if the employer expects it.
How many paragraphs should a cover letter have?
Three to four: an opening that names the role and your hook, one or two body paragraphs with your most relevant achievements, and a closing with a thank-you and next step.
Should a cover letter be one page?
Yes. One page is the standard maximum for almost every industry. Academic jobs and some executive applications are the main exceptions.
Can a cover letter be longer than a page?
Only when the employer asks for detail, such as academic positions or applications with selection criteria. Otherwise, cut it to one page.
Is 11 or 12 font better for a cover letter?
Both are standard. Use 12 pt for compact fonts like Times New Roman or Garamond, and 11 pt for wider fonts like Arial or Calibri, or whenever you need a little more room to fit on one page.
Should a cover letter be single or double spaced?
Single spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs. You can use 1.15 line spacing if your letter is short and you want a lighter look, but double spacing makes a cover letter look padded.
What margins should a cover letter have?
Use 1-inch margins on all sides as the default. If you need extra room, 0.75 inch is acceptable, and around 0.5 inch is the practical minimum.
How many words should a cover letter be?
Aim for roughly 250–400 words across three to four paragraphs. Email cover letters and internal applications can be shorter.
What is the best font for a cover letter?
There is no single best font, but Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Cambria, Garamond, and Times New Roman are all safe choices. The most important rule is to use the same font as your resume.
Is 10 point font too small for a cover letter?
Usually, yes. Most guidance treats 10 pt as the absolute minimum, and it can be hard to read on screen. Cut words before shrinking the font below 11 pt.
Should a cover letter be A4 or letter size?
Use US Letter (8.5" x 11") for jobs in the US and Canada, and A4 for the UK, Europe, and most other countries. Match the paper size the employer is likely to use.
Format Once, Reuse Everywhere
Getting your font, spacing, and margins right is much easier when your resume already has a clean, consistent design to copy. Our AI Resume Builder creates ATS-friendly resumes with professional fonts and spacing built in, so your cover letter can simply borrow the same look.