What is the difference between a short story and flash fiction?

Flash fiction is generally under 1,000 words; short story is 1,500 to 7,500. The gap between 1,000 and 1,500 is loosely defined — some markets call it "short-short" or "sudden fiction."

How long is a typical New Yorker short story?

Most New Yorker fiction runs 5,000 to 8,000 words, with some shorter pieces at 3,000 to 4,000. Length is driven more by narrative needs than by any fixed rule.

How many short stories make a collection?

Standard short story collections are 60,000 to 90,000 words total, which usually means 8 to 15 stories of varying lengths. Some collections are tighter (5 long stories) or looser (20 short pieces).

How Many Words Is a Short Story? (~1,500-7,500 Words)

A short story is conventionally 1,500 to 7,500 words. The Hugo Awards and Science Fiction Writers Association use this range as the eligibility definition; literary magazines vary somewhat, but most fall inside it. Below 1,500 words is generally classified as flash fiction; above 7,500 is a novelette.

How we calculated it

Award-eligibility definitions are the most precise reference point. The Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards classify by word count: short story up to 7,500 words; novelette 7,500 to 17,500; novella 17,500 to 40,000; novel 40,000 and up. These boundaries exist primarily to keep awards categories meaningful, but they have shaped how editors and writers talk about story length across genres.

Literary magazines generally accept short stories from about 1,500 to 8,000 words, with most falling in the 3,000 to 6,000 range. Many top-tier markets (The New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper's) publish stories closer to 4,000 to 7,000 words. Flash-focused markets specialize in stories under 1,000 words, sometimes under 500 (microfiction).

For workshop and MFA-application purposes, a "submittable" short story is usually 4,000 to 6,000 words. This is the length where you have room to develop a character and a real plot turn, but stay short enough that editors and workshop participants can read multiple submissions in one sitting.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a short story and flash fiction?: Flash fiction is generally under 1,000 words; short story is 1,500 to 7,500. The gap between 1,000 and 1,500 is loosely defined — some markets call it "short-short" or "sudden fiction."
How long is a typical New Yorker short story?: Most New Yorker fiction runs 5,000 to 8,000 words, with some shorter pieces at 3,000 to 4,000. Length is driven more by narrative needs than by any fixed rule.
How many short stories make a collection?: Standard short story collections are 60,000 to 90,000 words total, which usually means 8 to 15 stories of varying lengths. Some collections are tighter (5 long stories) or looser (20 short pieces).

Related word counts

How many words in a flash fiction? — about 750 words
How many words in a average novel? — about 90,000 words
How many words in a average essay? — about 1,500 words

More in Written Formats

Conventional word-count ranges for novels, short fiction, essays, and longform articles.

Last reviewed: May 2026. Word-count guidelines are based on the standard 130 wpm speaking pace, 150 wpm narration pace, and 250 wpm silent reading pace; adjust to your own delivery for best accuracy.