Word Counter
Paste or type text and get the word count, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and reading time.
From the essay prompt, form or platform.
Count
0 words · 0 characters
0 without spaces · 0 sentences · 0 paragraphs · about 0 s to read
| Words | 0 |
| Characters (with spaces) | 0 |
| Characters (no spaces) | 0 |
| Sentences | 0 |
| Paragraphs | 0 |
| Lines | 0 |
| Average word length | 0 characters |
| Reading time | 0 min at 238 words per minute |
What this page cannot tell you
Word processors count some things differently: hyphenated words, numbers, URLs and words joined by slashes can be one word or several depending on the program. A school, publisher or form may set its own counting rule; follow theirs.
How to count words
- Paste or type your text. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Read the counts. Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time update as you type.
- Set a limit. Optional: enter your word or character limit to see how many are left.
10 times you need a word or character count
College essays
An applicant keeps an essay under the word limit in the prompt.
School assignments
A student checks a 1,500-word essay.
Social media posts
Someone checks a post against a platform's character limit.
Job applications
A candidate fits a cover letter answer into a form's limit.
Freelance writing
A writer bills by the word.
Speeches
A speaker estimates length from word count.
SEO titles and descriptions
A blogger checks character counts.
Translation quotes
A translator counts words to price a job.
Overused words
A writer spots a word repeated too often.
Abstracts
A researcher keeps an abstract within a journal's limit.
How words and characters are counted
Words are runs of letters or digits; apostrophes and hyphens inside a word keep it as one word (don't, well-known). Characters are counted as you see them, using your browser's text segmentation, so an emoji or an accented letter counts once. Sentences end at . ! ? or …; paragraphs are separated by blank lines.
Reading time uses 238 words per minute, the average silent reading rate for adult English non-fiction in Brysbaert (2019), a meta-analysis in the Journal of Memory and Language.
Limits: word processors and websites count differently for hyphenated words, numbers and URLs. When a school, publisher or form sets a counting rule, follow it.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is one page?
It depends on font, size and spacing, so this page does not give a fixed figure; paste the text to count it.
Does it count spaces?
Both: characters with spaces and without.
How is reading time calculated?
Words ÷ 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading rate in Brysbaert (2019).
Is my text saved?
No. Counting happens in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.
Do hyphenated words count as one?
Yes, here. Some programs count them as two.
Does it count emoji?
Each emoji counts as one character.
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