Word Counter — Count Words, Characters and Reading Time
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type. See reading time, keyword density and limits for X, SMS and meta descriptions. Private: nothing is uploaded.
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 sec
Counted in your browser — your text is never sent anywhere.
Details
- Characters without spaces
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- Speaking time
- 0 sec
- Average word length
- 0.0
- Longest word
- —
Top keywords
Your most-used words will appear here.
Character limits
- X (Twitter) post0 / 280
- Meta description0 / 160
- SMS message0 / 160
- Instagram caption0 / 2,200
- LinkedIn post0 / 3,000
What this word counter measures
Type or paste your text into the box and every figure updates instantly: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines, reading time and speaking time. Below that you'll find your most-used keywords and how your text measures up against the character limits of common platforms.
When word count actually matters
- Essays and applications — universities and scholarship panels set strict limits, and many reject submissions that exceed them.
- SEO writing — search results cut meta descriptions off at around 155–160 characters, and title tags at roughly 60.
- Social posts — X allows 280 characters, and anything past the first line or two of an Instagram caption is hidden behind “more”.
- Translation and copywriting — both are usually priced per word, so an accurate count is an accurate invoice.
- Speeches — at a comfortable 140 words per minute, a five-minute slot holds about 700 words.
Reading keyword density
The keyword list shows the words you use most, leaving out common filler like “the”, “and” or “with”. If one word takes up more than 3–4% of your text, it will usually read as repetitive to a human, and search engines have long since stopped rewarding repetition. Use the list to spot words to vary, not as a target to hit.
Why counts differ between tools
Word processors don't all agree. Some count “e-mail” as two words, some treat numbers as words and others don't, and many count an emoji as two characters because of how it is stored. This counter follows the Unicode standard for word and character boundaries, which handles English, Portuguese, Spanish and German correctly — accents, apostrophes and all.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
Words are found with the Unicode word-boundary rules built into your browser, the same rules used by word processors. Contractions like “don't” count as one word, hyphenated compounds follow the standard rules, and punctuation, emoji and spaces are never counted as words.
Do spaces count as characters?
In the main character count, yes — the same way X, SMS and most form fields count them. The details panel also shows the count without spaces, which is what some academic and translation briefs ask for. Emoji and accented letters count as a single character each, however they are encoded.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time assumes 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for non-fiction found in a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies. Speaking time uses 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for presentations. Both are averages; technical text reads slower, and fast talkers speak faster.
Is my text stored or uploaded?
No. The counting happens in your browser as you type, and nothing is saved — reload the page and the text is gone. That makes it safe to paste unpublished articles, essays or confidential documents.
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Last updated September 25, 2026