Paste or type your text below and the counts update with every key you press. You get words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and an estimate of how long the text takes to read or say out loud.
Your text stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or saved.
How to use the word counter
- Type in the box, or paste text from Google Docs, Word, an email or any web page.
- Read the four counts at the top: words, characters, sentences and paragraphs.
- Check the line under the box for characters without spaces, reading time and speaking time.
- Press Copy text to take your text with you, or Clear to start again.
What the word counter shows
- Words, counted as groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks.
- Characters with spaces and without spaces, for forms and fields that count one or the other.
- Sentences, counted from full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.
- Paragraphs, counted as blocks of text separated by a line break.
- Reading time, based on an average silent reading speed of 238 words a minute for adults reading non-fiction (Brysbaert, 2019).
- Speaking time, based on a steady speaking pace of 150 words a minute. Useful for speeches and video scripts.
Who uses a word counter
Students checking an essay against a word limit. Writers keeping blog posts and articles to a target length. Job seekers fitting a cover letter or personal statement into a form. Anyone writing a speech who wants to know roughly how long it will take to deliver.
Frequently asked questions
Is the word counter free?
Yes. There is no sign up, no limit on how much text you paste, and no watermark or paywall.
Is my text saved anywhere?
No. The counting happens in your browser. Your text is never sent to a server, and it is gone when you close the page.
Why does my count differ slightly from Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
Each tool treats some things differently, such as hyphenated words, numbers and symbols standing on their own. The differences are usually small. If you are working to a strict limit, check the count in the tool your teacher or editor will use.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. The tool works in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers.
Related tools
- Free Character Counter Online Count characters as you type and check your text against limits for page titles, meta descriptions, texts, X posts and Instagram captions.
- Free Case Converter Online Change text to sentence case, Title Case, UPPER or lower case in one click.
- Free Text to Speech Online Paste text and hear it read aloud in your browser.