Word & Character Counter
Type or paste your text to count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time — updated live as you write. Everything runs locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
New to this? Read the Word Counter guide →
0
Words
0
Characters
- Characters (no spaces)
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 sec
- Speaking time
- 0 sec
0 words, 0 characters.
How to use the word counter
Start typing or paste your text and the counts update live: words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs and an estimated reading time. Nothing is uploaded, so it is safe for drafts and private documents.
How each count works
- Words are counted by splitting on whitespace, so runs of spaces, tabs and line breaks do not inflate the total.
- Characters with spaces counts everything you typed; without spaces excludes spaces and tabs. Many limits specify which one applies.
- Sentences and paragraphs are split on sentence-ending punctuation and blank lines respectively.
- Reading time is an estimate based on an average adult reading pace.
When you'll want it
- Hitting an essay or assignment word count.
- Staying inside a character limit on a meta description, ad, or social post.
- Gauging how long an article will take a reader, or trimming to a target length.
Need to change the casing of that text too, or strip extra whitespace? Try the case converter.
Where you'd use this
Anywhere a limit is enforced by a machine rather than a person: a 160-character meta description, a 300-word school assignment, a cover letter someone will skim in 30 seconds, a conference talk you need to fit into 18 minutes.
For example: A university essay is capped at 2,000 words with a 10% tolerance. You paste your draft, see 2,240, and know you are 40 words over the hard ceiling — not the 240 the raw count suggests.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
Words are counted by splitting your text on whitespace, so runs of spaces, tabs and line breaks do not inflate the total. Characters, sentences and paragraphs are counted too.
What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?
"With spaces" counts every character you typed; "without spaces" excludes spaces and tabs. Many assignments and social platforms specify which limit applies.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser; your text never leaves the page.