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You have to know the part number and you can use Google to search up the datasheet of that part. The datasheet will describe if it is 8-bit or 16-bit, etc.
Common 8-bit series microcontrollers: PIC 10, PIC 12, PIC 16, PIC 18, ATTINY, ATMEGA, 89C51, etc
Common 16-bit series microcontrollers: PIC 24, dsPIC 30, dsPIC 33, MSP 430, etc
32-bit series microcontrollers: ARM, PIC32, AVR32, etc
I've said it above. Without knowing the part number or family, I don't know how you can identify it. If you know the part number or the family it belongs to, then you can find out by checking in a reference document such as the datasheet, which can be found easily (as I've stated above) through Google.
You have to have the part number in your head and know it before hand. That's the only way.
Beside that, if you have a microcontroller soldered on a board and you want to know, it would be next to impossible.
You could follow some guides.
If it has PIC10... / PIC12... / PIC16... / PIC18... / ATMEGA... / ATTINY... / 89C... / 89S... marked on it, it is an 8-bit microcontroller.
If it has PIC24... / dsPIC30... / dsPIC33... / MSP430... marked on it, it is a 16-bit microcontroller.
If it has PIC32... / AVR32... / ARM marked on it, it is most probably a 32-bit microcontroller.
You can see the marking and find out by referring to the family it belongs to, as mentioned above.
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