Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences & paragraphs instantly. Get reading & speaking time.
Whether you are drafting a university essay with a strict word limit, optimising a meta description for search engines, or simply curious about the length of a document, an accurate word counter saves time and guesswork. Paste any text below and get an instant breakdown of words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs — all calculated in your browser with nothing uploaded.
Top Keywords
Type text above to see keyword density...
How to Use the Word Counter
- Paste or type your text — click in the text area and paste (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V) or type directly.
- See real-time stats — word count, character count, sentences, and paragraphs update instantly as you type.
- Check reading and speaking time — based on 225 wpm (reading) and 150 wpm (speaking) averages.
- Analyse keywords — scroll to the Top Keywords section to see the most-used words and their density percentages.
- Copy or clear — use the Copy Text button to copy your text, or Clear to reset everything.
Word & Character Targets That Matter
| Content | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Google title tag | ≤60 characters | Truncated in results beyond this |
| Meta description | 120–155 characters | Cut off in the snippet beyond ~155 |
| Tweet/X post | 280 characters | Hard limit |
| LinkedIn post | ~200 words visible | "See more" fold hides the rest |
| Blog post | 1,000–2,000 words | Enough depth to answer a query fully |
| College application essay | 650 words | Common App hard limit |
| Short story | 1,000–7,500 words | Standard market definition |
| Novel | 80,000–100,000 words | Typical publisher expectation for fiction |
Reading & speaking time: adults read ~238 words/minute silently; presenters speak ~130 words/minute. A 5-minute talk is therefore ~650 words, and a 1,500-word article is a ~6-minute read — the counter above shows both automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the word counter work? ▼
The counter analyzes your text in real time as you type. Words are counted by splitting on whitespace, characters are counted individually, sentences are detected by punctuation (., !, ?), and paragraphs are detected by double line breaks. Everything runs in your browser.
Is there a word limit? ▼
No — there is no word limit. You can paste millions of characters and they will be counted instantly. The tool runs entirely in your browser with no server uploads.
How is reading time calculated? ▼
Reading time is based on an average adult reading speed of 225 words per minute. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, which is a typical conversational pace. These are averages — complex academic text is read more slowly, simple content faster.
What is the difference between character count with and without spaces? ▼
Character count includes every character: letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation, and line breaks. Character count without spaces only counts non-whitespace characters. Some platforms (like Twitter/X) count characters without spaces, others count everything.
Can I use this for SEO content analysis? ▼
Yes! The keyword frequency section shows your top words and their density percentage. For SEO, aim for a primary keyword density of 1–3%. Long-form content of 1,500–2,500+ words tends to rank better for competitive keywords.
How long should my content be for SEO? ▼
Blog posts of 1,500–2,500 words tend to rank well for competitive topics. For simpler or local topics, 500–1,000 words may be sufficient. Meta descriptions should be 150–160 characters. Page titles should be 50–60 characters.
📖 Further reading: Best Free Text Tools for Writers