Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and reading time instantly. Free online word counter — paste text and see live stats with no signup.
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About the Word Counter
A word counter shows how long a piece of text is while you write it. Paste or type into the box and the number of words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs, together with the estimated reading time, updates live with every keystroke. Click any figure to copy it.
Words are counted as groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks, so “don’t” and “e-mail” each count as one word — the same way most word processors count. Sentences are split at full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, and paragraphs at blank lines. Reading time assumes an average silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute and is rounded up to the next whole minute.
Students use it to hit essay and application limits, writers and bloggers to keep articles within a target length, and marketers to fit text into meta descriptions, ads and social posts where every character counts. Your text never leaves the browser, so drafts and private documents stay private.
When to use it
- Checking an essay, personal statement or cover letter against a word limit
- Keeping a blog post or article within a target length
- Fitting text into character limits for social posts, ads and meta descriptions
- Estimating how long a speech or presentation script will take to read
Worked examples
A 1,000-word essay
At about 200 words per minute, a 1,000-word essay takes roughly 5 minutes to read silently; read aloud at a slower speaking pace it takes about 7 to 8 minutes.
Characters with and without spaces
“Hello world” has 2 words, 11 characters including the space and 10 characters without it.
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Part of these toolkits
How to use Word Counter
- 1Paste or type your text
- 2Watch word, character, sentence and reading-time stats update live
- 3Click any stat to copy it
Frequently asked questions
Is the word counter free?▾
Yes. Completely free with no account required.
Is my text uploaded?▾
No. Counting happens in your browser only.
How is reading time calculated?▾
Reading time assumes about 200 words per minute.
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