Word Counter
Paste or type any text and see its word count, character count (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs and approximate reading time update instantly. Useful whenever a piece of writing has to fit a limit.
Type or paste your text into the box. Results update on every keystroke. Use Copy to copy the text back out, or Clear to start again.
What is the Word Counter?
The Word Counter is a live text analyser. It reads whatever you type or paste and reports how long it is in several different ways at once, so you never have to copy text into a word processor just to check its length.
What does this tool do?
As you type, the tool splits your text into words, sentences and paragraphs and counts each one. It also reports the total number of characters including spaces, the number of characters excluding spaces, and an estimated reading time based on an average silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute.
How to use the Word Counter
- Click inside the text box and type, or paste text you have copied from somewhere else.
- Watch the counters above the box update as you write — there is no button to press.
- Use the reading time to judge how long a blog post, speech or script will take to get through.
- Press Copy to put the text back on your clipboard, or Clear to empty the box and start over.
Key features
Live counting
Every figure updates on each keystroke, so you can trim or expand text and see the effect immediately.
Two character counts
See characters with spaces (what most form limits use) and without spaces (what some publishers and translators use).
Sentence and paragraph totals
Helpful for checking readability or meeting structure rules in assignments.
Reading time estimate
A quick guide to how long the text takes to read, rounded to the nearest sensible unit.
Private by design
Counting happens entirely in your browser. Your text is not uploaded or stored.
Benefits
- Hit word limits for essays, applications and articles without guesswork.
- Keep social posts, meta descriptions and ad copy within character limits.
- Plan talks and videos by knowing roughly how long a script takes to read.
- Work on sensitive drafts safely because nothing is sent to a server.
Practical examples
University application
A personal statement must be under 650 words. Paste your draft, see that it is 712 words, and cut until the counter shows 650 or fewer.
Product description
A marketplace allows 500 characters including spaces. Write your description and watch the 'characters with spaces' figure as you edit.
Conference talk
A 2,000-word script shows a reading time of about 10 minutes, telling you it will fit a 12-minute speaking slot with time for pauses.
Who should use this tool?
- Students working to essay and assignment word limits
- Writers, bloggers and editors
- Marketers writing ads, captions and meta descriptions
- Job seekers filling in applications with length rules
- Speakers and video creators planning scripts
Common use cases
- Checking essay and report length
- Writing within social media character limits
- Estimating how long an article takes to read
- Comparing the length of two drafts
- Counting paragraphs for structured writing tasks
Important limitations
- Word counts can differ slightly from Microsoft Word or Google Docs because each program treats hyphens, numbers and symbols a little differently.
- Sentence detection relies on punctuation (. ! ?) so abbreviations like 'e.g.' may be counted as sentence breaks.
- Reading time is an average estimate; real reading speed varies by person and by how complex the text is.
- Languages that do not separate words with spaces, such as Chinese or Japanese, are not counted accurately.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Word Counter define a word?
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A word is any group of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Hyphenated terms such as 'well-known' count as one word.
Is the character count with or without spaces?
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Both. The tool shows characters including spaces and characters excluding spaces side by side, so you can use whichever your limit refers to.
How is reading time calculated?
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The word count is divided by an average reading speed of about 200 words per minute. Treat it as a guide rather than an exact figure.
Is my text saved anywhere?
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No. Everything is counted locally in your browser. Closing or refreshing the page removes the text.
Why does my word processor show a slightly different number?
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Different programs have different rules for numbers, symbols and hyphens. Differences are usually just a few words on long documents.
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