Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, with reading time, speaking time and keyword density. Free online word count tool.
About the Word Counter
Keep essays, posts, ads and meta descriptions within their limits. Type or paste text to see live counts of words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs, plus estimated reading and speaking time and your most used words.
How to use it
- Type or paste your text.
- Watch the counts update instantly.
- Check the keyword list to avoid repeating yourself.
What gets counted
Words are runs of characters separated by spaces or line breaks, so hyphenated words count once. Characters are counted as real characters, so emoji and Sinhala or Tamil letters are not double-counted. Sentences end with a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis, and paragraphs are separated by a blank line.
Limits worth knowing
Meta descriptions are best under about 155 characters and page titles under 60. X posts allow 280 characters and a single SMS 160. University essays and job applications usually set word limits; most allow 10% either side, but check the instructions.
Reading time and keyword density
Reading time assumes 238 words a minute, the average adult silent reading speed, and speaking time assumes 150 words a minute, a comfortable presentation pace. The most-used words list ignores common words like ‘the’ and ‘and’, helping you spot repetition and check that a blog post actually mentions its main topic.
Frequently asked questions
How is reading time estimated?
We assume an average silent reading speed of 238 words per minute and a speaking speed of 150 words per minute.
What are common character limits?
Meta descriptions are about 155 characters, X (Twitter) posts 280 and SMS messages 160.
Does it count hyphenated words as one?
Yes. Words are separated by spaces and line breaks, so ‘well-known’ counts as one word.