Word and character counter

How it works

Paste or type your text and the counts update live: words, characters, sentences and reading time at an average adult pace of about 238 words per minute. Useful for essays, social posts, meta descriptions and applications with length limits.

Where length limits show up

• School and university essays, which often set word targets.
• Social posts, where many platforms cap characters.
• Page descriptions for search results, commonly kept around 150 to 160 characters so they display fully.
• Cover letters, abstracts and application forms.

How the counts work

Words are groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Sentences are counted by ending punctuation. Reading time assumes about 238 words per minute, a commonly cited average for adults reading silently. Reading aloud is slower, often around 130 to 150 words per minute, so allow more time for a speech.

Common questions

Are spaces counted as characters?

Yes. The character count includes spaces and punctuation.

How is reading time estimated?

By dividing the word count by an average silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute.

Does it count hyphenated words as one?

Yes. A hyphenated word with no spaces counts as a single word.

Is my text stored?

No. The text is only counted inside your browser and is gone when you close the page.

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