Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type — with estimated reading time.
Word Counter gives you an instant, always-accurate count of the words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in any text. Paste an essay, a blog draft, a product description or a social media caption and watch every metric update live as you type or edit.
Beyond the basic totals, the tool reports characters with and without spaces (handy for platforms with strict character limits such as tweets, SMS or meta descriptions), counts sentences and paragraphs, and estimates how long the text takes to read at a typical adult reading speed. That makes it a favourite for writers hitting word limits, students checking essay requirements, and content editors sizing up articles before publishing.
Counting is done locally in your browser in real time, so your writing never leaves your device and you can keep working with total privacy. There is no account and no limit — use it for a single sentence or a full-length manuscript.
Tip: words are counted as groups of characters separated by whitespace, sentences end with . ! or ?, and paragraphs are separated by blank lines — the same conventions used by most style guides.
0
Words
0
Characters (with spaces)
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
—
Reading time
How to use the Word Counter
- Type or paste your text into the large text area.
- Watch the live counts update: words, characters (with spaces), characters (without spaces), sentences and paragraphs.
- Check the reading time estimate — it uses an average reading speed of 200 words per minute.
- Use the 'Copy text' button to duplicate your text or 'Clear' to empty the box.
- Keep editing — the counters refresh automatically with every keystroke.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter define a word?
A word is any sequence of characters separated by whitespace. Hyphenated terms such as 'well-known' count as one word, while 'open - source' with spaces around the hyphen counts as three. This matches the behaviour of most word processors and essay submission systems.
What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?
Characters with spaces includes every letter, number, punctuation mark and space in your text. Characters without spaces excludes the spaces only. If you are working to a strict limit such as a tweet (280) or an SMS (160), check the 'without spaces' figure against the platform's own counter to be safe.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time divides the word count by an average adult reading speed of about 200 words per minute. Very short texts show 'less than a minute'. Real reading speed varies by reader and content difficulty, so treat the number as a useful estimate rather than an exact duration.
Does the tool save or upload my text?
No. Everything is processed locally in your browser. If you refresh the page the text is gone — nothing is stored, logged or transmitted, so you can safely paste drafts and work-in-progress.
Can I use this to check if my essay meets a word limit?
Absolutely — this is one of the most common uses. Paste your essay and compare the word count against your assignment's requirement. Remember that some systems count only the body text and exclude headings and references, so check your submission guidelines.
Related tools
View all text tools →Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces — with live platform-limit gauges.
Text ToolsSentence Counter
Count sentences and measure average sentence length for readable writing.
Text ToolsParagraph Counter
Count paragraphs, average paragraph length and empty lines in your text.
Text ToolsReading Time Calculator
Estimate how long it takes to read any article or essay.
Text ToolsCase Converter
Convert text between UPPER, lower, Title Case, sentence case, camelCase and kebab-case.
Text ToolsUppercase Converter
Convert any text to ALL CAPS instantly — one click to copy.