Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, with reading and speaking time estimates.
Why use this tool?
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, and estimate reading and speaking time - for essays, articles, posts and speeches.
How to use it
- Type or paste your text.
- Read the live counts below.
- Use the reading time to plan articles or talks.
What gets counted
Words are counted as groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks, the same way most word processors do, so hyphenated words like "well-known" count once. Characters are shown with and without spaces, because some limits (like many form fields) count spaces and others (some translation and publishing rates) don't. Sentences are counted by their ending punctuation, and paragraphs by blank lines between blocks of text.
Counts update as you type, and your text stays in your browser.
Reading and speaking time
Reading time assumes 200 words per minute, a typical pace for adults reading online text, and speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for presentations and speeches. A 1,000-word article therefore takes about 5 minutes to read and nearly 8 minutes to read aloud.
Use the speaking estimate to plan talks: a 5-minute slot fits roughly 650 words of script. Technical or dense material is read more slowly, so allow extra time for it.
Common length limits
Some limits worth knowing: an X (Twitter) post allows 280 characters for standard accounts; a meta description is usually shown up to about 150-160 characters in search results; a LinkedIn post shows around 210 characters before "see more"; and many college application essays cap at 650 words.
Academic limits usually refer to words, and whether references and footnotes count depends on the institution, so check the specific rules. Paste only the parts that count toward the limit for an accurate figure.
Frequently asked questions
Does it count hyphenated words as one or two?
One. Words are split on spaces and line breaks, so "state-of-the-art" is a single word, as in most word processors.
How is reading time calculated?
Word count divided by 200 words per minute. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. Everything is counted in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.