Word & Character Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and estimated reading time.
Files are processed in memory and never stored.
Paste any text to instantly see its word count, character counts (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs, lines and an estimated reading time. Ideal for essays with limits, meta descriptions, social posts and anything with a length target.
How to use it
- Open the Word Counter and paste your text.
- All statistics update live as you type or edit.
- Use the numbers to hit your target length.
Why counts matter
So much writing has invisible limits. Tweets and social captions cap at a character count; SEO meta descriptions are truncated past roughly 160 characters; essays and applications specify word limits; and SMS messages split at 160 characters. Knowing exactly where you stand — before you paste somewhere and get cut off — keeps your message intact.
How reading time is estimated
Reading time is based on an average adult reading speed of about 200 words per minute. It's a useful rough guide for blog posts and documents — the '4 min read' label you see on articles is calculated exactly this way. The figure rounds up so even short pieces show at least one minute.
Frequently asked questions
Does it count in real time?
Yes — every statistic updates as you type.
How is a 'word' defined?
Any run of non-space characters separated by whitespace counts as one word.
Is my text stored?
No. Counting happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
What reading speed is used?
About 200 words per minute, the average for adult readers.
Can it count characters for Twitter/SEO?
Yes — use the character count (with spaces) for those limits.
Is it free?
Yes — free and unlimited.