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This idea is in the brainstorming stage. Feel free to add new ideas; improve, clarify and classify the ideas already here; and discuss the merits of these ideas on the talk page.
This page is an analysis of various information and values to maybe develop a new table for MOS:LEADLENGTH, it doesn't necessarily indicates that everything is intended for integration in the guideline. Is a work in progress and your questions and comments in the talk page are appreciated.
NewsAndEventsGuy wants kb column (although agrees with the rationale of WhatamIdoing) and supports keeping or adding the character and words columns if consensus is gained first in WP:SIZERULE.
WhatamIdoing doesn't want kb column. Wants lead length limit suggestion in words, no more than 1,000 and no more than a 2-minute read.
SandyGeorgia wants lead length limit suggestion in words and mostly percentage of article, but doesn't want kb nor characters nor cutting good leads to follow the guideline.
Ovinus likes the four-paragraph rule and more than the word and character count.
XOR'easter doesn't want a table nor numerical limits on the lead.
A paragraph in the context of general writing not limited to Wikipedia, can consist of a single letter, a word, or as long as needs to be or the writer wants—even pages long. The average paragraph is 200 words and is recommended to be from 3 to 8 sentences, although in academic writing it ranges from 6 to 8. For younger audiences it is recommended shorter paragraphs and in general for all audiences for easier reading.[1][2] Wikipedia's audience is mostly young and guidance states that "Editors should avoid lengthy paragraphs". In addition, it is recommended that for a wider audience in the general public, the readability of a text be aimed for students in the eighth grade,[3] who may have a reading speed of 150 words per minute.[4] Therefore, shorter paragraphs should be used.
Paragraph length based on Masterclass,[1] interpretation 1 (MC1 standard)
Number of
Very short
Short
Average
Long
Very long
r
Regular sentences
1~2
2~4
4~6
6~8
8~10+
r
Regular words
1~80
80~160
160~240
240~320
320~400+
a
Academic sentences
5
6
7
8
9
a
Academic words
200~240
240~280
280~320
320~460
460~600+
Paragraph length based on Masterclass,[1] interpretation 2 (MC2 standard)
Number of
Very short
Short
Average
Long
Very long
r
Regular sentences
1-3
3-5
5-7
7-9
9+
r
Regular words
1-50
50-150
150-250
250-350
350+
Proportion r.w./r. sent
1-15
15-30
30-35
35-40
40+
a
Academic sentences
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
9+
a
Academic words
5-90
90-210
210-280
280-360
360+
Paragraph length based on professional blog of writing[2] (PBW standard)
According to the articles' statistics. Notice that per MOS:LEAD, "The lead of a Wikipedia article [...] is the section before the table of contents and the first heading." Therefore, some articles can't have a lead due to its minimal size; for example, stubs or start articles devoid of a heading in the body. For practicality, guidance in the tables start in 0 size in words.
An example of a current article with many paragraphs in the lead is History of India. The article has 16,600 words and the lead more than 900 words and 9 paragraphs.
Considering an upper limite of page size of 100k characters (per WP:SIZESPLIT) or 17k words and a 10% lead of 1.7k words, we could calculate in a provisional basis—according to similar guidance by most of the tables about short paragraphs—80 words per paragraph[v] and an upper limit of 20 paragraphs in the lead.
With article length segmented based on current MOS:LEADLENGTH table
Based on analysis of lead examples provided in the thread "Seeking consensus for table modification". A goal of the lead being 10% or less of the overall article length is followed in these tables, according to general advice for abstracts.
Note: The LG400, LGSRW, LGSAW columns indicate the applicable row number in the relevant table that the linked lead falls under (for example, the value of 1 in the LG400 column points to row 1 in the Lead guidance 400 words LG400 table).
^Based roughly in the lead %, with more flexible ranges and without outliers.
^Calculated using the lower and upper short range of the PBW-O and HLG standards respectively. E.g.: for a medium lead of 100 words, 2 paragraphs because 100/80=1, plus one for being one rank above a small lead, and for 250 words, up to 7 paragraphs, because 250/40=>6.
^Calculated according to the average of the corresponding type of article, doubling it to set the limit.
^Calculated by doubling the lead % average of the articles' stats.
^Calculated according to the average of the corresponding type of article, doubling it to set the limit.
^1 lead paragraph per x article words (1/x); calculated by doubling the proportion in the articles' stats average.
^Calculated according to the average of the corresponding type of article, doubling it to set the limit.
^Calculated using the lower and upper short range of the PBW-O and HLG standards respectively. E.g.: for a medium lead of 100 words, 2 paragraphs because 100/80=1, plus one for being one rank above a small lead, and for 250 words, up to 7 paragraphs, because 250/40=>6.
^Calculated according to the average of the corresponding type of article, doubling it to set the limit.
^About the average of the tables in the short range.
^ abcdeEstimate based on June 2022 table and Prosesize numbers
