How to use the word counter
- Type or paste your text into the box. Every number updates as you write.
- Check the words and characters against your brief, assignment or platform limit.
- Use reading and speaking time to plan a blog post, newsletter or presentation.
- Scan the length limits list to see which social posts and SEO fields your text would fit.
- Look at the most used words to spot accidental repetition, then copy the statistics if you need to report them.
How the counts are calculated
Counting words sounds simple, but every tool has to make a few decisions. These are ours:
The 238 words-per-minute reading speed comes from a 2019 review of 190 studies by the psychologist Marc Brysbaert, who found that figure for silent reading of non-fiction in English. 150 words per minute is a typical pace for a clear presentation. Text in Chinese, Japanese or Thai, which does not use spaces, is split into words with your browser’s built-in language rules.
Worked example
Take this short notice:
Our café opens at 7.30 a.m. on weekdays. Dr. Lee's well-known pastries sell out fast!
Order online before 9 to collect yours.
The counter reports 22 words, 126 characters (104 without spaces), 3 sentences and 2 paragraphs. “7.30”, “a.m.”, “Lee's” and “well-known” each count as one word, and “Dr.” does not end the second sentence early.
Why other tools sometimes disagree
Microsoft Word, Google Docs and online counters can differ by a few words on the same text. The differences come from hyphenated words, numbers with separators, URLs and symbols such as “&” or “—”. If a word limit is strict, check with the tool your teacher, editor or client will use, and leave a small margin.
Key features
- Words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, updated live.
- Reading and speaking time based on published research and common practice.
- Limits for X posts, SMS, meta titles and descriptions, Instagram captions and LinkedIn posts.
- Keyword frequency and density, with common filler words removed.
- Your text stays in the browser and is not saved anywhere.
Practical use cases
Students in the US, UK and Canada often face essay limits with a 10% tolerance either way. Paste the essay body without the reference list for the count most markers use.
Marketers can draft a post once and see at a glance whether it fits X’s 280 characters, a 160-character SMS or a 2,200-character Instagram caption.
Speakers can size a script: about 750 words fills a five-minute talk at 150 words per minute.