Word Counter
Paste your text and get every count that matters — words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time — live as you type.
Spotted a mistake or have an idea? — errors get fixed and credited publicly.
Last reviewed: July 20, 2026 · Formulas verified by automated tests before every release.
Counts that people actually need
- Words — essays, articles, assignments with word limits.
- Characters — tweets (280), SMS (160), meta descriptions (~155), form fields.
- Characters without spaces — some translation and publishing rates are billed this way.
- Reading time — at ~200 words per minute, the standard for blog "X min read" labels.
Privacy note
Everything is counted locally in your browser. Whether it's a diary entry or a legal draft, the text never touches our servers — you can even go offline and keep counting.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
Any sequence of characters separated by spaces or line breaks counts as one word — the same convention used by word processors. Hyphenated words count as one.
What is a good length for common formats?
Rules of thumb: tweet/X — 280 characters max; meta description — 150–160 characters; Instagram caption sweet spot — under 125 characters; college essay — often 250–650 words; blog post — 1,000+ words for depth.
How is reading time estimated?
At the average adult silent-reading speed of roughly 200 words per minute, rounded up. Technical or dense text reads slower.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser — nothing you paste ever leaves your device.