Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, with an estimated reading time. Runs entirely in your browser.
What this word counter does
This tool counts the words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in any text you paste, and estimates how long the text takes to read at a normal pace of about 225 words per minute. Everything happens inside your browser: the text you type is never uploaded, which makes the counter safe for drafts, client copy and anything covered by an NDA.
When you actually need a word count
Word limits show up everywhere: university essays, scholarship statements, Amazon listing copy, guest-post submissions, and translation quotes billed per word. Two counts are worth knowing at the same time, which is why this page shows both: characters with spaces (what Twitter/X, LinkedIn previews and meta descriptions care about) and characters without spaces (what a translator invoices).
Reading time is the third number that matters. If you publish blog content, a piece under 700 words reads as thin to a lot of editors; over 2,000 words and readers begin to drop off unless the structure is strong. Knowing the estimate before you publish helps you decide whether to split a draft into two posts.
How the counters are defined
- Words - groups of non-whitespace characters. Hyphenated words such as "e-commerce" count as one word.
- Characters - every character including spaces and line breaks.
- Sentences - runs of text ending in a period, question mark or exclamation mark.
- Paragraphs - blocks separated by a blank line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text sent to a server?
No. The counting code runs in the page itself, so your text stays on your device and nothing is logged.
Why does Microsoft Word give me a different word count?
Word treats some punctuation and hyphenated strings slightly differently. The gap is normally under one percent unless the text is full of em dashes and abbreviations.
How is reading time calculated?
Words divided by 225 words per minute, which is a common average reading speed for adult native speakers on screen.
Can I use it for Amazon or Etsy listings?
Yes. Product listings have hard character limits, so paste the title or bullet and watch the character count update as you edit.
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