Word Counter: Count Words, Characters and Reading Time
Paste your text into this word counter and get the word count, character count with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and keyword density, live as you type. A free word count online with no signup, and your text never leaves your browser.
By Troopus · Updated: October 24, 2026
- 🔤 Words and characters
- ⚡ Live count
- ⏱️ Reading time
- 🔒 100% private
Count words and characters instantly
Limit checker
Type some text to see how much of the limit you use.
Keyword density
| Keyword | Times | Density |
|---|---|---|
| Type some text to see keyword density. | ||
Limits change over time and some are approximate. Check the platform before you publish.
How does the word counter work?
A word counter is a tool that counts the words in your text as you type, treating every group of letters or numbers separated by spaces or line breaks as one word. Characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines update instantly. You can paste text, upload a .txt file, or load the sample to see how it works.
There is no calculate button. The numbers refresh a moment after each keystroke, and the tool analyzes up to one million characters.
Here is how the main count is defined:
- Words: a run of letters or digits. Well-known counts as one word, don't counts as one word, and 3.5 counts as one word.
- Characters: every letter, digit, symbol, space and line break. An emoji counts as one character, even though many programs see it as two.
- Characters without spaces: the same count with spaces, tabs and line breaks removed. If you want a letter counter, this is the closest figure.
Take the sentence The quick brown fox jumps. It has 5 words, 26 characters with spaces and 22 without. If you plan to publish the text, compare the result with the title and meta description checker for search snippets.
What does this word and character counter count besides words?
Besides words, the tool counts characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines and unique words, and it shows the average word length. It also estimates reading and speaking time and lists your most repeated words and phrases, so one paste gives you a full picture of the text.
The sentence counter ignores decimals and abbreviations, as the table shows.
| Count | How it is calculated |
|---|---|
| Sentences | Pieces of text ending in a period, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis. Decimals like 3.5 and abbreviations like Dr. do not split a sentence. |
| Paragraphs | Blocks of text separated by at least one blank line. |
| Unique words | Distinct words, ignoring capital letters, so The and the are the same word. |
| Average word length | Total letters and digits divided by the number of words. |
How many words is a typical essay, blog post or tweet?
A post on X holds up to 280 characters, roughly 40 to 50 words. A typical school essay runs 500 to 2,000 words, and a blog post often runs 1,000 to 2,000 words. There is no official standard, so always follow the limit your teacher, editor or platform sets.
Pick a preset in the limit checker and a progress bar shows how much of the limit you have used and how much is left. Over the limit, the bar turns red. You can also type your own limit.
| Item | Limit or typical length |
|---|---|
| Post on X (free account) | 280 characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| SMS (one segment, standard characters) | 160 characters |
| Google title and meta description | About 60 and 155 characters (the real cutoff depends on pixel width) |
| One page of text | About 500 words single-spaced, about 250 double-spaced (rule of thumb) |
Platform limits change, so confirm them on the platform before you publish.
How does the reading time calculator estimate reading and speaking time?
Reading time is the number of words divided by your reading speed in words per minute. This tool defaults to 238 words per minute for silent reading and 150 for speaking, and you can change both. A 1,000-word article takes about 4 minutes to read and about 7 minutes to say aloud.
The formula is time = words ÷ words per minute. For 1,000 words at 238 wpm that is 4.2 minutes. At 150 wpm it is 6.7 minutes.
The 238 figure comes from a large review of reading studies by Marc Brysbaert (2019), which found an average of about 238 wpm for silent reading of non-fiction by adults. The 150 wpm speaking pace is a common rule of thumb for presentations and voiceovers, not a standard. Both are estimates, which is why both fields are editable.
How do I use the word counter as a keyword density checker?
Keyword density is how often a word or phrase appears divided by the total word count, as a percentage. If "coffee" appears 10 times in a 500-word text, its density is 2%. The tool lists your top 10 words or phrases and can ignore common words like "the" and "and".
Use the phrase length menu to switch between single words, two-word phrases and three-word phrases. The common words toggle removes filler such as the, of and is so the list shows your real topics.
The formula is density = times it appears ÷ total words × 100. A phrase used 6 times in a 400-word text has a density of 1.5%.
Use the table to spot accidental repetition while you edit. There is no ideal percentage that makes a page rank, and search engines do not publish one, so write for readers first. For ideas on which phrases to target, try the keyword seeding checker.
Is my text private?
Yes. Your text is analyzed entirely in your browser with JavaScript and is never uploaded, sent to a server or stored. When you close or reload the tab, the text is gone. A .txt file you upload is also read only on your own device,.
The page makes no network request with your text and needs no account. You can turn off your internet connection after the page loads and the counter keeps working. The Paste button uses your browser clipboard, which may ask permission; if it refuses, click in the box and press Ctrl+V.
Frequently asked questions
How do I count words in text online?
Paste or type your text into the box above and the word count appears instantly. Words are groups of letters or numbers separated by spaces, so hyphenated words and contractions count as one. You can also upload a .txt file to count a longer document.
How does this character counter count characters with and without spaces?
Characters with spaces counts everything: letters, digits, punctuation, spaces and line breaks. Characters without spaces removes spaces, tabs and line breaks. In "The quick brown fox jumps." that is 26 characters with spaces and 22 without.
How many words per minute is average reading speed?
A large 2019 review of reading studies found adults read about 238 words per minute silently when reading non-fiction. Speeds vary with the text and the person, so this tool lets you change the rate and recalculates the reading time right away.
How many words is a page?
As a rule of thumb, a single-spaced page holds about 500 words and a double-spaced page about 250 words in a standard 12-point font. The exact number depends on font, margins and spacing, so use the word count for limits and pages only as an estimate.
Does a hyphenated word count as one word?
In this tool, yes. A hyphenated compound such as "well-known" or "state-of-the-art" counts as one word, and so does a contraction like "don't". Microsoft Word and Google Docs also treat hyphenated compounds as one word, but some style guides count them differently.
How do I count words in Word or Google Docs?
In Microsoft Word, the word count shows in the status bar at the bottom, or open Review and choose Word Count. In Google Docs, press Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on Mac) or choose Tools, then Word count.
Is my text stored or uploaded?
No. The counter runs in your browser and your text is not uploaded, sent anywhere or saved. Reloading or closing the tab clears it. Uploaded .txt files are read locally on your device and never leave it.
Does the word counter have a character limit?
The tool analyzes up to one million characters, which is far more than most documents. If your text is longer, it analyzes the first million characters and shows a notice.