Word Counter
Type or paste your text to see a live count of words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, along with reading time and the words you use most.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Free to use
Details
- Lines
- 0
- Speaking time
- 0 sec
- Avg. words per sentence
- 0
- Avg. word length
- 0
- Longest word
- –
- Unique words
- 0
Top keywords
- Keywords appear once you add some text.
How to use Word Counter
- Type directly into the box or paste text from a document.
- Read the counts above the text; they update with every keystroke.
- Check reading and speaking time to judge the length of an article or talk.
- Look at the top keywords to spot repetition, then keep editing.
Word Counter features
Live statistics
Words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines update instantly.
Reading and speaking time
Estimates based on 238 words per minute for silent reading and 130 for speech.
Keyword frequency
Lists your most frequent words, ignoring common filler words such as “the” and “and”.
Sentence length insight
Shows the average number of words per sentence, a quick readability signal.
Works in any language
Counts words in scripts that separate words with spaces, including accented and non-Latin letters.
Nothing is stored
Your text is analysed in the browser and never sent to a server.
When to use Word Counter
- Keeping an essay, dissertation or assignment within its word limit.
- Checking that a blog post or article reaches a target length.
- Timing a speech, presentation script or video voice-over.
- Trimming a cover letter, abstract or product description.
Word Counter FAQ
How are words counted?
A word is a run of letters or digits. Hyphenated terms such as “well-known” and contractions such as “don't” count as one word. Punctuation and symbols on their own are not counted.
Why does my count differ from Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
Editors differ in small details, for example whether a standalone dash, a number, or a URL counts as a word. Differences are usually well under one percent.
How is reading time calculated?
Using an average adult silent reading speed of 238 words per minute, taken from published reading research. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace.
Does it count words in Chinese or Japanese?
Those scripts do not put spaces between words, so each continuous run of characters is treated as one word. For such text, the character count is the meaningful measure.
Is there a length limit?
No. Documents of several hundred thousand words are counted without difficulty.
Making sense of text statistics
Word count is the standard measure of length for essays, articles and manuscripts because it is independent of font and layout. A page of double-spaced text holds roughly 250–300 words, a typical blog post 800–1,500, and a five-minute speech around 650.
The other figures help with quality rather than quantity. Average sentence length is a simple readability indicator: prose averaging 15–20 words per sentence is comfortable for most readers, while long averages suggest sentences that could be split. The keyword list reveals words you lean on too heavily, which is useful both for varying your vocabulary and for checking that a piece is really about its intended subject.
Different counters can give slightly different results for the same text, because there is no single rule for what counts as a word. Hyphenated terms, numbers, abbreviations, URLs and words joined by slashes or em dashes can each be counted as one word or several. Character counts also vary depending on whether spaces and line breaks are included. When a limit is strict, such as on an application form, check the text with the counter the form itself uses, and leave a small margin below the limit.