- Home
- Word count guides
- Flash fiction
How many words is flash fiction?
Flash fiction is a complete story in under 1,000 words, often 300 to 1,000. That is at most 4 double-spaced pages and about 4 minutes of reading.
Work it out
Line spacing
pages, single-spaced, Arial 12 pt, about 500 words a page
- Handwritten pages
- 4
- Reading time
- 4 min 12 sec
- Speaking time
- 6 min 40 sec–7 min 42 sec
- Typing time
- 25 min
- Paragraphs
- 5–10
- Sentences
- 50–67
- Characters with spaces
- about 6,000
Write it in the word counter with a limit of 1,000 words.
Open the word counterFlash fiction in pages and minutes
| Length | Single-spaced | Double-spaced | Reading time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 words | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1 min 16 sec | 2 min–2 min 18 sec |
| 1,000 words | 2 | 4 | 4 min 12 sec | 6 min 40 sec–7 min 42 sec |
Estimates for US Letter or A4 with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins and ordinary paragraphs; reading at 238 words a minute, speaking at 130 to 150.
The short forms
| Form | Length |
|---|---|
| Flash fiction | under 1,000 words (some markets allow 1,500) |
| Microfiction | under about 300 words |
| Drabble | exactly 100 words |
| Six-word story | six words |
The famous six-word story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn” is often credited to Ernest Hemingway, though there is no good evidence he wrote it.
Writing flash
- Start late. Begin in the middle of the moment that matters.
- Let the title work. In flash, the title can carry setting or context the story has no room for.
- Count exactly. Contests disqualify stories over the limit. Set a limit in the word counter and edit to it.
Questions and answers
How many words is flash fiction?
Under 1,000 words; some magazines draw the line at 1,500.
What is a drabble?
A story of exactly 100 words, title not included. See 100 words.
Does the title count toward the word limit?
Usually not, but check the guidelines: some contests count it.