Word & Character Counter
How to use the Word & Character Counter
Type or paste text into the box above. The counts update instantly as you type, so there is no button to press. The tool shows words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and an estimated reading time. Everything is calculated in your browser, and your text is never uploaded.
What each number means
- Words: groups of characters separated by whitespace. Hyphenated words such as "well-known" count as one.
- Characters: every character including spaces and line breaks. "No spaces" removes all whitespace first.
- Sentences: text ending in a period, exclamation mark or question mark. Abbreviations like "e.g." can raise the count slightly.
- Paragraphs: blocks of text separated by at least one blank line.
- Reading time: words divided by 200, a typical adult silent-reading speed, rounded up.
Example
The text "Free tools make work easier. Try them today!" has 8 words, 2 sentences and 1 paragraph, and it takes under a minute to read. If you are writing to a limit, such as a 150-word summary, an essay requirement or a social post, keep an eye on the counts as you edit.
Common uses
- Checking essay, assignment or article length
- Staying inside meta description or social media limits
- Estimating how long a speech or blog post takes to read
- Comparing draft lengths while editing
Frequently asked questions
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. The counting happens locally in your browser. Closing the tab clears it.
Why does my word processor show a different count?
Applications treat punctuation, hyphens, numbers and some languages differently. Counts here are estimates based on whitespace splitting.
Does it work for languages without spaces between words?
Not accurately. For languages such as Chinese or Japanese, rely on the character count instead.
Is it free?
Yes, with no account or installation required.
Limitations
Sentence and paragraph counts rely on punctuation and blank lines, so unusual formatting can affect them. Always review counts before relying on them for strict requirements. See our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy. Browse the full tools directory. More tools: Text Case Converter, Text Line Comparer.