Word Counter
Type or paste your text to count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, and to estimate reading and speaking time. Everything updates as you type.
Runs in your browser. Your data is not uploaded.
Counts update as you type. Your text stays in your browser.
Text statistics
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0
- No spaces
- 0
- Characters without spaces
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 min
- At 238 words/min
- Speaking time
- 0 min
- At 150 words/min
How to count words
- Type in the box, or paste text from a document, email or website.
- Word, character, sentence and paragraph counts update instantly as you type.
- Check the estimated reading and speaking time, and the most frequently used words.
- Copy the text back or clear the box to start again.
Features
Live counts
Words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines update as you type.
Reading and speaking time
Estimates based on 238 words per minute for silent reading and 150 for speaking aloud.
Most used words
Spot repetition by seeing which words you use most, with common filler words left out.
Accurate for many languages
Handles accented letters and emoji correctly, and counts Chinese and Japanese characters as individual words.
Private
Your text is counted in your browser and never uploaded or saved.
Common uses
- Keep essays, assignments and applications within a word limit
- Check the length of blog posts, articles and product descriptions
- Time a speech or presentation
- Find overused words while editing
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. Counting happens in your browser, and nothing is stored or uploaded. Closing or reloading the page clears the text.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time divides the word count by 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adults. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a typical pace for presentations.
Does it count words in other languages?
Yes. Any language that separates words with spaces is counted accurately. For Chinese and Japanese, each character is counted as a word, which is the usual convention.
Why does my word processor show a different number?
Tools differ in small details, such as whether “–” or a number like “3.5” counts as a word. Differences are usually very small.
Is there a length limit?
There’s no fixed limit. Very long texts of hundreds of thousands of words still work, although updates may take a moment on slower devices.
How words are counted
A word is any group of letters or numbers separated by spaces or line breaks. Hyphenated words such as “state-of-the-art” and contractions like “don’t” count as one word, the same way most word processors count them. Punctuation on its own, such as a dash between spaces, isn’t counted.
Word counts can differ slightly between tools, mainly in how they treat hyphens, numbers and symbols. If an assignment has a strict limit, check which tool your teacher or publisher uses.