diff --git a/components/BioEditor.tsx b/components/BioEditor.tsx
index dca5287..c9800d3 100644
--- a/components/BioEditor.tsx
+++ b/components/BioEditor.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,27 @@ import clsx from 'clsx'
 import type { BioLanguage, BioPostContent } from '@/lib/bio-api'
 import BioEditorToolbar from '@/components/BioEditorToolbar'
 
+// Bio length targets. The team agreed bios should land around 80 words; the
+// zones below give the author live feedback as they type. Boundaries are
+// inclusive on the green side so 70 and 90 read as "good", not "borderline".
+const BIO_TARGET_MIN = 70
+const BIO_TARGET_MAX = 90
+const BIO_WARNING_MIN = 60
+const BIO_WARNING_MAX = 100
+
+function countWords(text: string): number {
+  // Plain whitespace split is fine for the 6 European languages we support.
+  // CJK / Arabic would need Intl.Segmenter with granularity: 'word'.
+  const trimmed = text.trim()
+  return trimmed === '' ? 0 : trimmed.split(/\s+/).length
+}
+
+function wordCountZone(count: number): 'green' | 'orange' | 'red' {
+  if (count >= BIO_TARGET_MIN && count <= BIO_TARGET_MAX) return 'green'
+  if (count >= BIO_WARNING_MIN && count <= BIO_WARNING_MAX) return 'orange'
+  return 'red'
+}
+
 type EditableFields = {
   member_title: string
   member_linkedin_url: string
@@ -41,6 +62,7 @@ export default function BioEditor({
   const [isDirty, setIsDirty] = useState(false)
   const [isSaving, setIsSaving] = useState(false)
   const [isLoadingLang, setIsLoadingLang] = useState(false)
+  const [wordCount, setWordCount] = useState(0)
   const [status, setStatus] = useState<
     | { kind: 'idle' }
     | { kind: 'success'; queued: string[] }
@@ -81,7 +103,13 @@ export default function BioEditor({
     ],
     content: initialPost.content,
     immediatelyRender: false,
-    onUpdate: markDirty,
+    onCreate({ editor }) {
+      setWordCount(countWords(editor.getText()))
+    },
+    onUpdate({ editor }) {
+      markDirty()
+      setWordCount(countWords(editor.getText()))
+    },
     editorProps: {
       attributes: {
         // rounded-b-md (not rounded-md) + border-t-0 because the
@@ -135,6 +163,12 @@ export default function BioEditor({
         setCurrentTitle(post.title)
         setFields(postToEditable(post))
         editor?.commands.setContent(post.content, { emitUpdate: false })
+        // setContent with emitUpdate: false suppresses onUpdate by design
+        // (we don't want the language switch to flip isDirty), so sync the
+        // word count manually here.
+        if (editor) {
+          setWordCount(countWords(editor.getText()))
+        }
         setIsDirty(false)
       } catch (err) {
         setStatus({ kind: 'error', message: (err as Error).message })
@@ -226,6 +260,22 @@ export default function BioEditor({
           <div id="bio-content" className="mt-1">
             <BioEditorToolbar editor={editor} />
             <EditorContent editor={editor} />
+            <div className="mt-1 flex items-center justify-end gap-3 text-xs">
+              <span
+                className={clsx(
+                  'font-medium tabular-nums',
+                  wordCountZone(wordCount) === 'green' && 'text-green-700',
+                  wordCountZone(wordCount) === 'orange' && 'text-orange-600',
+                  wordCountZone(wordCount) === 'red' && 'text-red-700'
+                )}
+                aria-live="polite"
+              >
+                {t('wordCount', { count: wordCount })}
+              </span>
+              <span className="text-gray-500">
+                {t('wordCountTarget', { min: BIO_TARGET_MIN, max: BIO_TARGET_MAX })}
+              </span>
+            </div>
           </div>
         </div>
 
diff --git a/messages/de.json b/messages/de.json
index 002e961..6bbb4e8 100644
--- a/messages/de.json
+++ b/messages/de.json
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@
     "savedNoChange": "Gespeichert.",
     "saveError": "Speichern fehlgeschlagen: {error}",
     "unsavedSwitch": "Du hast nicht gespeicherte \u00c4nderungen. Verwerfen und Sprache wechseln?",
+    "wordCount": "{count, plural, =0 {Keine W\u00f6rter} one {# Wort} other {# W\u00f6rter}}",
+    "wordCountTarget": "Ziel {min}-{max} W\u00f6rter",
     "notLinked": "Dein Konto ist mit keinem team_member-Profil verkn\u00fcpft. Wende dich an einen Administrator.",
     "noLanguages": "Es sind noch keine Sprachversionen zur Bearbeitung verf\u00fcgbar.",
     "loadError": "Diese Version deiner Bio konnte nicht geladen werden.",
diff --git a/messages/en.json b/messages/en.json
index 3072bf4..daf2dfe 100644
--- a/messages/en.json
+++ b/messages/en.json
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@
     "savedNoChange": "Saved.",
     "saveError": "Could not save: {error}",
     "unsavedSwitch": "You have unsaved changes. Discard them and switch language?",
+    "wordCount": "{count, plural, =0 {No words yet} one {# word} other {# words}}",
+    "wordCountTarget": "target {min}–{max} words",
     "notLinked": "Your account isn't linked to a team_member profile. Contact an administrator.",
     "noLanguages": "No language versions are available to edit yet.",
     "loadError": "Could not load this version of your bio.",
diff --git a/messages/es.json b/messages/es.json
index 434b858..7129ed6 100644
--- a/messages/es.json
+++ b/messages/es.json
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@
     "savedNoChange": "Guardado.",
     "saveError": "No se pudo guardar: {error}",
     "unsavedSwitch": "Tienes cambios sin guardar. \u00bfDescartarlos y cambiar de idioma?",
+    "wordCount": "{count, plural, =0 {Sin palabras} one {# palabra} other {# palabras}}",
+    "wordCountTarget": "objetivo {min}-{max} palabras",
     "notLinked": "Tu cuenta no est\u00e1 vinculada a un perfil de team_member. Contacta a un administrador.",
     "noLanguages": "A\u00fan no hay versiones en otros idiomas para editar.",
     "loadError": "No se pudo cargar esta versi\u00f3n de tu biograf\u00eda.",
diff --git a/messages/fr.json b/messages/fr.json
index 7726cf9..f7f95be 100644
--- a/messages/fr.json
+++ b/messages/fr.json
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@
     "savedNoChange": "Enregistr\u00e9.",
     "saveError": "\u00c9chec de l'enregistrement : {error}",
     "unsavedSwitch": "Vous avez des modifications non enregistr\u00e9es. Les abandonner et changer de langue ?",
+    "wordCount": "{count, plural, =0 {Aucun mot} one {# mot} other {# mots}}",
+    "wordCountTarget": "cible {min}-{max} mots",
     "notLinked": "Votre compte n'est pas li\u00e9 \u00e0 un profil team_member. Contactez un administrateur.",
     "noLanguages": "Aucune version linguistique n'est disponible \u00e0 la modification.",
     "loadError": "Impossible de charger cette version de votre bio.",
diff --git a/messages/it.json b/messages/it.json
index e040ae6..2f88810 100644
--- a/messages/it.json
+++ b/messages/it.json
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@
     "savedNoChange": "Salvato.",
     "saveError": "Impossibile salvare: {error}",
     "unsavedSwitch": "Hai modifiche non salvate. Scartarle e cambiare lingua?",
+    "wordCount": "{count, plural, =0 {Nessuna parola} one {# parola} other {# parole}}",
+    "wordCountTarget": "obiettivo {min}-{max} parole",
     "notLinked": "Il tuo account non \u00e8 collegato a un profilo team_member. Contatta un amministratore.",
     "noLanguages": "Nessuna versione linguistica disponibile per la modifica.",
     "loadError": "Impossibile caricare questa versione della tua bio.",
diff --git a/messages/pt.json b/messages/pt.json
index c9a1c2b..b68540e 100644
--- a/messages/pt.json
+++ b/messages/pt.json
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@
     "savedNoChange": "Guardado.",
     "saveError": "N\u00e3o foi poss\u00edvel guardar: {error}",
     "unsavedSwitch": "Tem altera\u00e7\u00f5es por guardar. Descart\u00e1-las e mudar de idioma?",
+    "wordCount": "{count, plural, =0 {Sem palavras} one {# palavra} other {# palavras}}",
+    "wordCountTarget": "alvo {min}-{max} palavras",
     "notLinked": "A sua conta n\u00e3o est\u00e1 ligada a um perfil team_member. Contacte um administrador.",
     "noLanguages": "Ainda n\u00e3o h\u00e1 vers\u00f5es lingu\u00edsticas dispon\u00edveis para edi\u00e7\u00e3o.",
     "loadError": "N\u00e3o foi poss\u00edvel carregar esta vers\u00e3o da sua bio.",