Word Counter: Count Words, Characters, Sentences and Paragraphs

What this word counter does

A word counter tells you how long a piece of writing is. This one counts words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs as you type, and it adds two numbers writers rarely have to hand: an estimated reading time and an estimated speaking time. A keyword table shows the words you use most often, which is a quick way to spot repetition or check that a topic word appears often enough.

Teachers set word limits, publishers pay by the word, translators quote by the word and search engines reward pages that fully cover a topic. Knowing your exact count saves time, and checking it in a tool that is separate from your editor makes sure that different programs do not give you different answers.

How to use the word counter

1. Type directly into the box, or paste your text from a document, an email or a web page.
2. Read the counts at the bottom. They update with every keystroke, so you can edit and watch the total change.
3. Check the reading time and speaking time if you are writing an article, a script or a talk.
4. Look at the top keywords table to see which words dominate the text. Common filler words are left out.
5. Press Copy text to copy the cleaned result, or Clear to start again.

How words are counted

This tool counts a word as any run of characters separated by spaces, tabs or line breaks. That is the same basic rule that most word processors use, so hyphenated words such as well-known count as one word, and a number such as 2026 counts as one word. A dash with spaces around it, such as a spaced hyphen between two words, counts as its own item because it is separated by spaces.

Different programs can differ by a few words on the same text, because they treat symbols, URLs, footnotes and text boxes in different ways. If a limit is strict, count the final text in the tool the assignment or publisher specifies, and keep a small safety margin.

Who uses a word counter

• Students keeping essays, dissertations and application statements within a limit.
• Bloggers and SEO writers aiming for the depth that ranking pages usually have.
• Copywriters writing ads, product descriptions and email subject lines to a brief.
• Translators and freelance writers who are paid per word.
• Speakers and video creators turning a script into an estimated running time.
• Social media managers who need the character count for a caption or a post.

Tips for hitting your target word count

• Write the first draft without checking the count, then edit to length. Counting too early slows you down.
• To cut words, remove filler such as very, really, just and in order to, and replace long phrases with one word.
• To add words, add evidence: an example, a number, a quote or a short explanation, not padding.
• Check whether the limit includes the title, headings, references and captions, because rules differ.
• Re-count after every major edit, and again after you paste the final text into the submission form.

Reading time and speaking time

The reading time uses 238 words per minute, a commonly cited average for silent reading of non-fiction by adults. The speaking time uses 130 words per minute, a relaxed conversational pace. Real speeds vary by person, topic and purpose, so treat both numbers as estimates and use the Reading Time Calculator or Speech Time Calculator for other speeds.

Your text stays private

Everything is counted inside your browser. Your text is not uploaded, stored or logged by this website, which makes the tool safe for unpublished drafts, contracts and personal notes.

Typical word counts for common writing

Frequently Asked Questions