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Made you look

Want to keep readers reading? Keep paragraphs short

Quick! Which of these paragraphs would you rather read?

Made you look
Easy on the eyes Want to keep readers’ attention? Write tight paragraphs. Image by Henti Smith

This 105-word paragraph?

Dr. Wolfgang Neubauer, a professor of archaeology at the University of Vienna, said that Mr. Sadik was one of his students and that the two of them had been authors of a scholarly article. He said that Mr. Sadik specialized in stratigraphy, the study of the layers of earth in which archaeological remains are found, and was working on a doctoral dissertation about an excavation at the town of Hallstatt in the Austrian Alps. Like the Nazca Lines, Hallstatt and the surrounding area have been designated a Unesco World Heritage site. He said that Mr. Sadik had put off his studies to work with Greenpeace.

— Greenpeace Won’t Name Activists, Peru Says

Or this 11-word one?

Until then, Mr. Stratton waits and continues his daily balancing act.

— After Working in Film, a Queens Man Hopes for a Life in Technology

Paragraphs are visual cues.

That’s the problem with long paragraphs: Readers make decisions about your message based not on what you said or on how well you said it but on what it looks like after you’ve said it. And paragraph length is one of your message’s most important visual cues.

“Long paragraphs are a visual predictor that a story won’t work,” says Jon Ziomek, associate professor at the Medill School of Journalism.

So how long is too long for a paragraph?

Write like the Times.

We turned to The New York Times to find out. We analyzed 99 stories in a recent edition of The New York Times. (We skipped the sports pages.)

On this day, the Times’ average paragraph length averaged 36 words per paragraph and Weighed in at a median of 37 words per paragraph.

Take a tip from the Times: Keep your paragraphs nice and neat and sweet.

Keep paragraphs short, like the Times.

While you’re at it, why not break up your copy with some super-short paragraphs like these, which weigh in at …

… 16 words

And yet Mr. Monis had repeatedly come to the attention of community leaders and the authorities.

— Gunman in Sydney Had Long History of Run-Ins With the Law

… 14 words

Its broadband package is also the home to the sports broadcaster ESPN in Britain.

— British Telecom Company BT Is in Exclusive Talks to Buy EE

… 13 words

Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s chief revenue officer, was running with the theme last week.

— Airlines Use Fuel Windfall to Pursue Premium

… 12 words

In February, the activist investor raised its bid to $21 a share.

— Riverbed Technology Agrees to $3.6 Billion Sale

… 11 words

“No matter what I did, I couldn’t find peace,” he said.

— Army Deserter Is Jailed for Chasing the Conflicts That Steadied His Mind

… 9 words

Apple could pay more than $350 million in damages.

— Lawyers in iPod Trial Await Jury Decision

Now, that’s a paragraph that goes down easy.

What’s your average paragraph length?

Get more tips on reducing paragraph length.

  • How long should your message be?

    Would your message be twice as good if it were half as long?

    Yes, the research says. The shorter your message, the more likely readers are to read it, understand it and make good decisions based on it.

    Rev Up Readability — our tight-writing workshop, which starts Feb. 22-26So how long is too long? What’s the right length for your piece? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words?

    Find out at Rev Up Readability — our tight-writing workshop, which starts Feb. 22-26.

    There, you’ll use a cool (free!) tool to analyze your message for 27 readability metrics. You’ll leave with quantifiable targets, tips and techniques for measurably boosting readability.

    Save $200 when you book before Dec. 31.

    Register for Rev Up Readability — our tight-writing workshop, which starts Feb. 22-26

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