Word Counter — Count Words & Characters Instantly
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, plus estimated reading time.
About the Word Counter
A word counter tallies the words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in a piece of text as you type or paste it. Writers, students, and editors use it to hit exact requirements — a 500-word essay, a 160-character meta description, or a tweet that has to fit a strict limit — without manually counting anything.
This tool works entirely in your browser: your text is never uploaded to a server, so it's safe to paste drafts, essays, or anything you'd rather keep private. Counts update live as you type, and the reading-time estimate uses an average adult reading speed of 200 words per minute.
Worked example
Example: paste a 3-paragraph blog draft and the tool instantly shows 412 words, 2,180 characters (with spaces), 19 sentences, and an estimated 2-minute read time — useful for checking it fits a content brief that calls for 400–450 words.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this word counter count spaces as characters?
- Yes. The tool shows two character counts: one including spaces and one excluding them, so you can match whichever limit your platform or assignment uses.
- How is reading time calculated?
- Reading time is estimated by dividing the total word count by 200 words per minute, the commonly cited average adult silent-reading speed. It's an estimate, not an exact measurement.
- Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
- No. All counting happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never transmitted to a server or saved, so you can safely paste unpublished or sensitive content.
- What counts as a 'sentence' or 'paragraph'?
- Sentences are counted by detecting terminal punctuation (. ! ?). Paragraphs are counted by detecting line breaks between blocks of text, so single-spaced text may count as fewer paragraphs than expected.