Word Counter
Paste or type your text and see word count, character count, reading time and more — updated instantly.
How it works
Paste or type your text
Drop in anything from a single sentence to a full article or script.
Watch the stats update live
Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time refresh as you type.
Copy or check your limit
Copy the text when you're done, or turn on a character limit to track a specific cutoff.
What people use a word counter for
Checking a count before hitting submit avoids a rewrite later.
Essays & assignments
SEO meta descriptions
Social media limits
Scripts & video captions
Article reading time
A few things worth knowing about this counter
Checking a count before you submit something is a small habit that saves real rewrites. An essay with a strict word limit, a form field with a hard character cap, a headline that needs to fit a fixed space — all of these have a number attached, and it's much faster to confirm you're under it here than to find out after a rejection or a truncated post. Pasting a draft in as you go, rather than only checking at the very end, also makes it easier to trim gradually instead of cutting a chunk all at once.
Reading time works off a simple, widely used assumption: an average adult reads silently at around 200 words per minute. Multiply that out and a 600-word article lands at about 3 minutes, a 1,200-word one at about 6. It's an estimate rather than a precise measurement — dense technical writing reads slower than casual prose, and everyone's actual pace varies — but it's accurate enough to be genuinely useful for labeling an article or gauging how long a script will take to read aloud.
The split between "characters" and "characters (no spaces)" matters more than it looks. Most everyday character limits — a tweet, an SMS, a form field — count every character including spaces, so that's usually the number to watch. But some technical contexts specify a limit without spaces, or you might just want to know how much of a count is actual letters versus gaps between words. Having both numbers side by side means you're never guessing which one a specific limit is actually referring to.
Frequently asked questions
How is the word count calculated?
The tool splits your text on whitespace and counts each resulting chunk as one word, which is how most word processors and editors count too. Extra spaces or line breaks between words don't inflate the count.
What's the difference between characters with and without spaces?
"Characters" counts every character including spaces, exactly what you typed. "Characters (no spaces)" removes all whitespace first. This matters for technical limits like a meta description or a form field, which are usually specified as a raw character count including spaces.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated using an average adult silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute. It's a useful estimate, not an exact figure — actual reading speed varies by person and by how dense the text is.
How does the character limit counter work?
Turn it on, set your limit, and the counter shows your current count against that limit (like "240/280"). It turns red once you go over, so you can see at a glance whether your text fits before you post or submit it.
Is my text saved or uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything is counted locally in your browser as you type. Nothing is sent to a server or saved anywhere once you leave the page.
Is this word counter free to use?
Yes, completely free, with no account or sign-up, and it runs entirely in your browser.