Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time as you type. Free word counter that runs in your browser. No signup, no upload.
analyticsText Statistics
lightbulbWriting Tip
The ideal blog post length for SEO is between 1,500 and 2,500 words. For social media posts, aim for 40-80 characters to maximize engagement.
What is the Word Counter?
A word counter tallies the words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in any text, plus an estimated reading time. Writers reach for one to fit content into platform limits like Twitter's 280 characters or a 160-character meta description, without trimming after the fact.
How to use the Word Counter
- 1
Paste or type your text
Drop your draft into the editor on the left, or start typing directly. Pasting from another document keeps the original formatting intact for the count.
- 2
Watch the stats update live
Words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time recalculate on every keystroke. There's no submit button.
- 3
Use a count to hit your target
Writing for a 280-character tweet or a 1,500-word blog post? Trim or expand until the relevant stat lands on your number.
- 4
Clear when you're done
Select all and delete to reset. Nothing was saved or sent anywhere, so you can move on without leaving a trace.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is reading time calculated?
We divide the word count by 200 words per minute, the average adult reading speed for online content. So 1,000 words shows up as roughly 5 minutes. The estimate updates with every keystroke.
Does the word counter handle special characters?
Words are split on whitespace: spaces, tabs, and line breaks all act as separators. Hyphenated terms like "state-of-the-art" count as one word, and common abbreviations (Mr., Dr., e.g., i.e.) don't get mistaken for sentence endings.
Is there a character limit?
No limit. The tool runs entirely in your browser, so a 50-page draft and a single tweet both process the same way. Nothing is uploaded to a server.