An increasingly important issue in nanoscience and nanotechnology is the accurate determination of nanoparticle sizing. Wide angle X-ray total scattering (WAXtS) data are frequently used to retrieve the particle Size Distributions (pSDs) of nanocrystals of highly technological relevance; however, the PSD shape typically relies on an a-priori assumption. Here, we propose a modified version of the classical iterative Lucy-Richardson (LR) algorithm, which is simple, fast and highly reliable against noise, and demonstrate that the inversion of WAXTS data can be profitably used for recovering accurate pSD regardless of its shape. computer simulations based on the use of the Debye Scattering equation (DSe) modelling WAXtS data show that the algorithm is capable of recovering accurate PSDs even when the sample is made of a mixture of different polymorphs and/or exhibits microstrain effects. When applied to the inversion of WAXTS data taken on real samples, the method requires accurate modelling of the nanoparticle crystal structure, which includes structural defects, microstrain and surface induced distortions. provided that this information is correctly fed to the program, the inversion algorithm reconstructs the WAXtS data with high accuracy and recovers highly robust (against noise) pSDs. two examples reporting the characterization of Magnetite-Maghemite and commercial P25-Titania nanopowders, are discussed. We demonstrate that pre-assumption of wrong pSD shape leads to inaccurate number-based average sizes in highly polydisperse samples. Nanoparticle sizing and nanoparticle structural characterization have become, over the last decades, topics of increasing interest due to their intimate relationship to nanoscience and nanotechnology 1-6. Nanoparticles or NanoCrystals (NCs) usually exhibit a crystalline or a partially ordered atomic arrangement, with local structural distortions, defects, and remarkable surface effects (due to their large surface area to volume ratio) that can be tailored by proper functionalization. All these structural features, together with the NCs morphology and size, determine their physical-chemical properties and, ultimately, their functionality 7,8. In particular, the detailed knowledge of the Particle Size Distribution (PSD) and Particle Size and Shape Distribution (PSSD) becomes an issue of extreme relevance when developing materials with advanced functionalities. This is for example the case of electroluminescent perovskites 9 , heterogeneous catalysts 10 , nanomaterials for optoelectronics 11 , photovoltaics 12 , drug delivery 13 , or in industrially relevant processes, such as filtration 14 , coating 15 , dyes and inks 16 , cosmetics 17 and active pharmaceutical ingredients formulation 18. Among the experimental techniques that deal with nanoparticle sizing, imaging and scattering optical methods are among the most popular ones. Imaging methods, such as confocal optical 19 or transmission electron 20 microscopy, work by analyzing individually each single particle and therefore provide ...