Word Counter
Type or paste any text and watch the numbers update live: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and lines, plus reading and speaking time and your top keywords. Runs in your browser, no upload, no signup.
How to Use the Word Counter
Type or Paste Your Text
Drop your writing into the box. The counts appear instantly and update as you edit.
Read the Counts
Check words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and lines, plus reading and speaking time.
Hit Your Target
Trim or expand until you meet your word or character limit, using the live totals as a guide.
Copy When Ready
Copy your text back into your document. Nothing you paste here is ever uploaded.
Count Every Word as You Type
A word counter tells you how much you have written and helps you hit a target, whether that is a 500-word assignment, a 160-character meta description, or a 2,000-word article. This one updates every number the moment you type or paste, so you always know exactly where you stand.
What the word counter shows
Alongside the word count you get characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs, and lines, plus a reading time and a slower speaking time. It also shows the average word length and your most-used keywords, so you can see not just how much you wrote but how it reads. Every figure recalculates live, with no button to press.
How words are counted
Words are counted by splitting your text on spaces and line breaks, the same way word processors do, so the total lines up with Microsoft Word and Google Docs within about one percent. Numbers and hyphenated terms count as words, and extra spaces are ignored. Characters are counted exactly, which is what social platforms and meta tags measure against.
Word count guidelines by content type
Different formats have very different length norms. Here is a quick reference for common ones.
| Content type | Typical length |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | up to 280 characters |
| Meta description | 140 to 160 characters |
| College essay | 1,500 to 5,000 words |
| Blog post | 1,000 to 2,500 words |
| Novel | 70,000 to 100,000 words |
Word count versus character count
Most writing targets are set in words, but some are set in characters. Social posts, SEO title tags, and meta descriptions have hard character limits, while essays and articles use word limits. This tool shows both at once, so you can meet a character cap and a word target without switching tools.
Private and instant
Everything is counted in your browser with JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded, logged, or stored, so it is safe for drafts, client work, and anything confidential. There is no signup and no limit, so you can paste as much as you like, as often as you like.
Why Use Our Word Counter?
Words and Characters
See the word count and character count, with and without spaces, updated on every keystroke.
Sentences and Paragraphs
Get sentence, paragraph, and line counts too, for a full picture of how the text is structured.
Reading and Speaking Time
Estimate how long the text takes to read silently and to read aloud, handy for scripts and talks.
Top Keywords
See your most-used words at a glance, so you can spot repetition and check your focus terms.
Average Word Length
A quick readability cue: shorter average word length usually reads easier for a general audience.
Live as You Type
No Count button. Every number updates instantly as you type or paste, so nothing lags behind.
Matches Word and Docs
The word count lines up with Microsoft Word and Google Docs within about one percent.
Runs in Your Browser
Your text is counted on your device. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about counting words and reading time.
What is a word counter?
A word counter is a tool that counts how many words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs are in your text. It helps writers meet word and character limits for essays, articles, social posts, and SEO tags.
How are words counted?
Words are counted by splitting the text on spaces and line breaks, the same method word processors use. Numbers and hyphenated words count as words, and extra spaces are ignored.
Does the count match Word and Google Docs?
Yes, within about one percent. Word counters can differ slightly on how they treat hyphens, numbers, and symbols, but the total here lines up closely with Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
What is the difference between word count and character count?
Word count is the number of words; character count is the number of individual characters. Essays and articles usually use word limits, while social posts, title tags, and meta descriptions use character limits. This tool shows both.
How many words are on a page?
Roughly 500 words per single-spaced page or 250 double-spaced, in a standard 12-point font. It varies with margins and spacing, so use the live count as the reliable measure.
Does it show reading time?
Yes. It estimates reading time at an average silent reading speed and a slower speaking time for reading aloud, which is useful for timing speeches, videos, and presentations.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole tool runs in your browser on your own device. Nothing you type or paste is uploaded, logged, or stored, so it is safe for drafts and confidential work.
Is this word counter free?
Yes, it is completely free with no signup and no limits. Everything runs in your browser, so your text stays on your device and you can count as much as you like.