Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in your text. Get reading time estimates and detailed statistics instantly.
Everything about the online word counter
Why count the words in your text?
Many platforms enforce length limits: Twitter/X (280 characters), SEO meta descriptions (155–160 characters), college essays (often 2,000 or 5,000 words). A reliable counter prevents last-minute surprises when you publish or submit.
Reading time is a key metric for web writers. A high-performing blog post runs between 1,200 and 2,500 words — roughly 6 to 12 minutes of reading. This tool calculates that estimate on the fly based on 200 words per minute (adult average).
No sign-up, no data upload: counting happens entirely in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.
Use cases
- Students and academics
- Verify that your college essay, master's thesis, or lab report meets the word count requirements set by your institution.
- Content writers and bloggers
- Optimize article length for SEO: content between 1,500 and 2,500 words generally ranks better on Google.
- Social media managers
- Stay within character limits for each platform: 280 for Twitter/X, 2,200 for Instagram captions, 63,206 for Facebook posts.
- Translators and proofreaders
- Compare word counts between source and target text to estimate the expansion or contraction ratio.
How does the counter work?
Paste or type your text into the input area. Statistics update instantly: words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, and paragraphs.
Reading time is calculated at 200 words per minute, the average adult reading speed. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, matching a comfortable oral delivery pace.
Sentences are detected via ending punctuation (. ! ?), and paragraphs are separated by blank lines. Text is analyzed locally — nothing is sent to a server.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between characters and characters without spaces?
- The 'characters' count includes every sign — spaces, line breaks, and punctuation. The 'no spaces' count strips all whitespace, which is useful for limits like SMS (160 characters) or form fields.
- How are hyphenated or apostrophe-containing words counted?
- The tool splits words by whitespace and line breaks. A hyphenated compound like 'well-known' or a contraction like 'don't' counts as a single word.
- Is my text sent to a server?
- No. All processing runs in your browser via JavaScript. No data is transmitted, stored, or logged. You can even use the tool offline once the page has loaded.
- What is the reading time estimate based on?
- Reading time is based on 200 words per minute, the measured average for an adult reading standard prose. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, matching a comfortable presentation pace.