Word Counter

Free word counter

Paste or type text to instantly count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, plus estimated reading time. Perfect for essays, articles, social posts and SEO meta descriptions.

How to use the word counter

Just type or paste your text into the box. The counts for words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and estimated reading time update live as you write — nothing is uploaded, so it works instantly and privately.

Why word and character counts matter

• Essays and assignments often have strict word limits — stay within them without guessing.
• Social media: X/Twitter posts cap at 280 characters; other platforms have their own limits.
• SEO: a page title works best around 50–60 characters and a meta description around 150–160, so they don't get cut off in search results.
• Ads and headlines frequently have tight character budgets.

How reading time is estimated

Reading time is based on an average adult reading speed of about 200 words per minute. So a 1,000-word article takes roughly five minutes to read. It's a handy estimate for blog posts and newsletters where a "5 min read" label helps set reader expectations.

Word vs character count

A word is a group of characters separated by spaces; a character count includes every letter, number, space and punctuation mark. Platforms with limits usually count characters, while schools and publishers usually count words.

Frequently asked questions