Word limits show up everywhere — a college essay, a job application, an abstract, a press release with a strict character cap — and cutting 20% out of something you've already written feels harder than writing it in the first place. Here's a method that doesn't just chop sentences at random.
Cut Words, Not Ideas, First
Before removing any point you've made, remove the words that aren't doing any work. Common offenders: "in order to" (→ "to"), "due to the fact that" (→ "because"), "at this point in time" (→ "now"), "it is important to note that" (→ delete entirely, just state the fact). These phrases pad word count without adding meaning, and in a wordy first draft, cutting them alone can recover a surprising amount of space with no loss of content.
| Wordy phrase | Shorter version | Words saved |
|---|---|---|
| in order to | to | 2 |
| due to the fact that | because | 4 |
| at this point in time | now | 4 |
| in the event that | if | 3 |
| a large number of | many | 3 |
| has the ability to | can | 3 |
| with regard to | about | 2 |
Kill Redundant Modifiers
"Completely eliminate," "past history," "advance planning," "end result" — the modifier repeats what the noun already means. Trim to "eliminate," "history," "planning," "result."
The same goes for intensifiers and hedges such as "very", "really", "quite", "basically" and "actually". They rarely add meaning, and stacking them makes writing sound less confident.
Before (12 words): "It is really quite important to basically check your sources very carefully."
After (4 words): "Check your sources carefully."
Turn Nouns Back Into Verbs
Many wordy sentences hide the action inside a noun: "make a decision", "carry out an analysis", "provide assistance", "conduct a review". Using the verb directly is shorter and clearer.
Before (9 words): "The team carried out an analysis of the data."
After (5 words): "The team analyzed the data."
Prefer the Active Voice
Passive constructions need extra words ("was … by") and often bury who did what. Switching to active voice usually shortens the sentence and makes it easier to follow.
Before (11 words): "The decision was made by the committee to delay the launch."
After (5 words): "The committee delayed the launch."
The passive is still useful when the actor is unknown or unimportant ("The samples were stored at 4 °C"), so treat this as a habit, not an absolute rule.
Drop Empty Sentence Openers
"There is", "there are" and "it is … that" push the real subject further along the sentence.
Before (10 words): "There are many students who find that statistics is difficult."
After (5 words): "Many students find statistics difficult."
Signposting at the start of an essay is another easy target. "In this essay, I will argue that remote work improves productivity" (11 words) becomes "Remote work improves productivity" (4 words) — the reader already knows it is your essay and your argument.
Combine Sentences That Repeat Structure
Two short sentences that share a subject or setup can usually merge into one without losing anything: "The report was late. It was also incomplete." becomes "The report was both late and incomplete" — same information, fewer words.
Putting It Together: A Full Before and After
Before (52 words): "It is important to note that, at this point in time, the majority of small businesses are not making use of the data that they already have. In many cases, this is due to the fact that they do not have the time or the staff in order to analyze it properly."
After (23 words): "Most small businesses do not use the data they already have, often because they lack the time or staff to analyze it properly."
The edited version keeps every idea — small businesses, unused data, the two reasons — in less than half the length. None of the content was cut. What went was four stock phrases ("it is important to note that", "at this point in time", "due to the fact that", "in order to"), a nominalization ("making use of") and a few wordy constructions ("the majority of" became "most", "in many cases" became "often").
Then, and Only Then, Cut Content
Once the padding is gone and you're still over the limit, look for the least load-bearing example or supporting sentence — the one where, if you deleted it, a reader wouldn't notice anything missing. Cut the weakest one first, re-check your count, and repeat only as needed. Cutting the least useful content one piece at a time preserves far more of your argument than an even, proportional trim across every paragraph.
Match the Method to How Far Over You Are
- A few percent over: sentence-level edits alone — phrases, modifiers, openers — are usually enough.
- Around 10–20% over: combine sentence-level edits with merging repetitive sentences and shortening your introduction and conclusion, which often restate each other.
- Well over the limit: step back and decide which point or section is least essential. Removing one whole weak section is usually cleaner than shaving every paragraph.
Tricks to Avoid
Some "shortcuts" lower the number without making the writing better, and many can break the rules of an assignment or application:
- Joining words with hyphens or slashes to make them count as one.
- Moving body text into tables, images or footnotes when the rules say those count.
- Swapping full words for unexplained abbreviations, which makes the text harder to read.
- Deleting necessary citations or transitions so the argument no longer holds together.
Different tools can also count slightly differently — for example, how they treat hyphenated words, numbers or URLs. If the limit is strict, check which counter the institution or platform uses and leave yourself a small margin.
Check As You Go
Trimming without watching the number in real time means overcutting in a panic near the end. Paste your draft into a live counter so you can see exactly how much each edit saves — our Word Counter updates instantly as you type, with word count, character count, and reading time all in one place.
Writing for the web rather than a fixed limit? Length works differently there — see Why Word Count Matters for SEO. And if your edits leave headings in inconsistent capitalization, the Case Converter can tidy them up; Title Case vs. Sentence Case explains which style to choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do references, headings and footnotes count toward a word limit?
It depends entirely on the rules you are given. A common arrangement is to exclude the reference list but include in-text citations, but some courses count everything and others exclude headings or appendices too. When the guidance is unclear, ask, rather than guessing in your own favor.
Is it acceptable to go slightly over a word limit?
Some institutions allow a small tolerance, while job portals and online forms often cut you off at the exact limit. Unless a tolerance is stated in writing, treat the limit as a hard maximum.
Do contractions reduce word count?
Most counters treat a contraction such as "don't" as one word, so replacing "do not" saves one word each time. Contractions can be too informal for academic or legal writing, though, so use them only where the tone allows.
Should I cut my word count before or after the first full draft?
After. Write the complete draft first, then edit. Trying to write short from the start often leaves gaps in the argument that are harder to fix than extra words.
Try it yourself: paste a paragraph you have written into the Word Counter, note the count, then apply just the phrase table and the active-voice check from this guide and see how many words you save before cutting a single idea.