Text Tools
Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time instantly. Perfect for essays, articles, blog posts, and content writing with reading level analysis.
Use Word Counter to get instant results without uploads or sign-ups. Everything runs securely in your browser for fast, reliable output.
Your results will appear here.
About this tool
Count words accurately with our comprehensive word counter tool. Perfect for students writing essays, content creators crafting blog posts, authors tracking manuscript progress, or anyone needing precise word counts. The counter updates instantly as you type, showing words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time, and speaking time.
Our word counter goes beyond basic counting - it calculates estimated reading time (based on 200 words per minute average) and speaking time (based on 130 words per minute average). This makes it invaluable for content planning, speech preparation, podcast scripting, and ensuring your content fits time constraints.
The tool is essential for meeting academic requirements (500-word essays, 2000-word papers), optimizing blog post length for SEO (1500+ words for better rankings), planning social media content, estimating book length, and analyzing content density. See at a glance if your text meets requirements without manual counting.
All counting happens in your browser with complete privacy - your text never leaves your device. Works perfectly on all devices and can be used offline. No registration, no limits, completely free forever.
Usage examples
College Essay Word Count
650-word college application essay
Words: 650, Characters: 3,825, Sentences: 32, Paragraphs: 5. Reading time: 3 minutes 15 seconds. Perfect length for Common App essays!
Blog Post Length Check
SEO-optimized blog article
Words: 1,847, Characters: 11,280, Sentences: 94, Paragraphs: 12. Reading time: 9 min 14 sec. Excellent length for SEO - posts over 1,500 words rank better in Google.
Speech Preparation
Presentation script for 5-minute talk
Words: 650, Speaking time: 5 minutes (at 130 words/min). Characters: 3,900, Sentences: 35. Perfect fit for a 5-minute presentation slot!
Social Media Caption
LinkedIn post with professional update
Words: 87, Characters: 512, Sentences: 4, Paragraphs: 2. Reading time: 26 seconds. Ideal length - LinkedIn posts under 150 words get higher engagement.
Novel Chapter Analysis
First chapter of a novel manuscript
Words: 3,245, Characters: 19,470, Sentences: 187, Paragraphs: 28. Reading time: 16 min 13 sec. Typical chapter length for contemporary fiction.
How to use
- Type or paste your text into the text area
- Watch as word count, character count, and other metrics update in real-time
- View word count, character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, paragraph count
- See estimated reading time (based on 200 words per minute)
- See estimated speaking time (based on 130 words per minute)
- No need to click any button - counting happens automatically as you type
Benefits
- Real-time word counting - updates instantly as you type
- Multiple metrics - words, characters, sentences, paragraphs
- Reading time estimate - based on 200 words per minute average
- Speaking time estimate - based on 130 words per minute average
- Perfect for essays, articles, speeches, and content writing
- No text length limit - count documents of any size
- 100% free with no registration required
- Complete privacy - all counting in your browser
- Mobile-friendly for writing on the go
- Works offline after first load
FAQs
How is word count calculated?
Words are counted by splitting text on whitespace (spaces, tabs, line breaks). Each group of characters separated by whitespace counts as one word. For example, "Hello world" = 2 words, "Hello, world!" = 2 words. Punctuation attached to words doesn't create additional words.
How long should a 500-word essay take to write?
A 500-word essay typically takes 1-2 hours to write including planning, research, drafting, and editing. For experienced writers, the drafting alone might take 20-30 minutes. Reading the essay aloud takes about 2.5 minutes at normal speaking pace.
What is the ideal blog post length for SEO?
SEO studies show blog posts between 1,500-2,500 words tend to rank best in Google search results. Posts over 1,500 words provide enough depth for search engines to understand the topic. However, quality matters more than length - a well-written 800-word post can outrank a poorly-written 2,000-word post.
How do you calculate reading time?
Reading time is calculated assuming an average reading speed of 200 words per minute. This is the typical silent reading speed for adults. The formula is: (number of words ÷ 200) = minutes. For example, a 1,000-word article takes approximately 5 minutes to read.
Why is speaking time different from reading time?
Speaking time is based on 130-150 words per minute, which is slower than silent reading (200 wpm). Speaking out loud requires articulation, breathing, and often includes pauses for emphasis. A 650-word speech takes about 5 minutes to deliver, but only 3.25 minutes to read silently.
Do contractions count as one word or two?
Contractions like "don't" or "can't" count as single words because they're written as one unit without spaces. However, some academic style guides (like Chicago Manual of Style) count them as two words for certain purposes. Our counter follows the standard method of counting contractions as one word.
How many words per page for different formats?
Single-spaced pages typically have 500-600 words. Double-spaced pages (standard for academic papers) have 250-300 words. Books average 250-300 words per page. These are estimates - actual word count per page depends on font size, margins, and formatting.
Is my text stored anywhere?
No! All word counting happens entirely in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, saved, or sent to any server. The tool works completely offline after initial page load, ensuring 100% privacy for your writing.
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