What is the shortest surah in the Quran?

Why al-Kawthar counts as the shortest

Three surahs have just three verses: al-Asr (103), al-Kawthar (108) and an-Nasr (110). Al-Kawthar is the shortest of them because its verses have the fewest words, so it is shorter whether you count verses, words or letters. It is near the end of the Quran, in the 30th juz, where the short surahs are grouped together.

What it says

The surah opens with a promise to the Prophet ﷺ:

Verse 2 says, "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice," and verse 3 says that the one who hates him is the one cut off. It was revealed at a time when the Prophet's ﷺ enemies mocked him after his sons died young, calling him "cut off" with no one to carry his name. Allah answered that his legacy would be abundant, and it was the mockers who would be forgotten.

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet ﷺ once dozed, then lifted his head smiling and recited this surah. He explained that al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise that his Lord had promised him, full of good (Sahih Muslim 400). Scholars say the word also covers all the abundant good he was given.

Using it in prayer

• After al-Fatiha in the first two rak'ahs, you recite a little extra Quran. Al-Kawthar is enough for that.
• It's quick to memorize: many people learn it in a day by repeating one verse at a time.
• Pair it with al-Ikhlas (112), another very short surah, so you have two to alternate. See Which surahs should I memorize first as a new Muslim?

What about the shortest verse?

That's a different question. Some verses are a single word, such as "Mudhammatan" (Dark green, 55:64), and some are just separate letters, like "Ta Ha" (20:1). Scholars mention a few candidates, so there's no single agreed answer.