Word Counter
Type or paste text below to count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and estimated reading time — updated as you type.
What does this word counter measure?
Beyond raw word and character totals, the tool shows sentence and paragraph counts, average word length, and time estimates for both reading and speaking. The numbers update on every keystroke, so you can see immediately when you've hit a 500-word essay target or a 280-character tweet limit.
Reading and speaking time formulas
Reading time uses 225 words per minute, the most commonly cited adult silent-reading pace for non-fiction. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, a comfortable public-speaking pace (TED talks average 150 wpm; podcasts and audiobooks typically run 140–170 wpm). Adjust your own estimate up or down depending on your audience.
Common length targets
| Format | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Tweet (X post) | 1–280 characters |
| Meta description | 120–160 characters |
| SMS | 160 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 1,300–3,000 characters |
| College essay (short) | 500 words |
| Blog post (typical) | 800–1,500 words |
| News article | 500–800 words |
| Academic paper section | 2,000–5,000 words |
| Novel (manuscript) | 70,000–100,000 words |
Tips for hitting a word count
- Outline first. Five well-developed points at 200 words each gets you to a clean 1,000-word piece.
- Cut, don't pad. If you're over count, look for hedges ("very", "really", "I think"), redundant qualifiers, and throat-clearing intros.
- Read aloud to find filler. Sentences that sound natural spoken almost always tighten well on the page.
Frequently asked questions
How does it count hyphenated words?
"Mother-in-law" and "state-of-the-art" each count as a single word — they have no internal whitespace. This matches Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Does it work offline?
Yes. The counter is a single static page with no server calls. Once the page is loaded, you can disconnect from the internet and it will keep working.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. Your text never leaves your browser. There's no database, no logging, and no analytics on your input.