Word Counter
Measure words, characters, and reading time to improve your writing.
Paste or type your text
Table of Contents
Understanding word count metrics
Our word counter reviews your text character by character and separates content into words, sentences, and paragraphs. Numbers, hyphenated words, and apostrophes are handled carefully so contractions like 'don't' and numbers like 3.14 are counted correctly.
- Words: Detected using letters, numbers, and apostrophes. Double-check hyphenated words depending on your style guide.
- Characters: Counted both with spaces and without spaces to help meet platform limits.
- Sentences: Split on punctuation such as period, question mark, or exclamation mark.
- Paragraphs: Recognized when there is at least one blank line between blocks of text.
These metrics make it easy to validate assignments or submissions with specific guidelines. You can instantly see whether your introduction or conclusion needs to be longer, or if you should trim certain sections to stay concise.
Character counts are particularly helpful when writing for platforms with strict limits such as advertising platforms, marketplace listings, or SMS campaigns. Toggle between totals with and without spaces to understand how formatting choices impact the final length.
Reading and speaking times use industry averages: 200 words per minute when reading silently and 130 words per minute when presenting aloud.
Use these estimates to rehearse podcasts, YouTube scripts, or live presentations. If you know your audience reads more slowly or you tend to speak faster, adjust the numbers to match your personal pace.
How to use the word counter
Follow these simple steps to get the most accurate analysis of your text:
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1Paste or type your content into the text box. You can insert long-form articles, essays, or scripts.
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2Submit the form to calculate word count, character count, and structure metrics.
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3Review the results to check if your text meets platform or assignment requirements.
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4Adjust your content and resubmit as needed. The tool updates instantly after each submission.
Keep an eye on the unique word count when polishing academic papers or SEO articles. A higher ratio usually indicates richer vocabulary and fewer redundant phrases.
If you collaborate with others, paste in the cleaned text without reviewer comments so the statistics reflect the final draft rather than feedback notes.
Writing and editing tips
Stay within limits
Keep an eye on character count when preparing social media posts, meta descriptions, or SMS messages.
Balance readability
Aim for paragraphs of 3-5 sentences and vary sentence length to keep your writing engaging.
Watch for repetition
Use the unique word metric to identify repeated words that might need synonyms.
Plan delivery
Use reading and speaking times to rehearse presentations or time-limited talks.
Track how your metrics change across drafts. Consistently high sentence counts may signal that you need more subheadings or bullet lists, while shorter sentences can make technical content easier to digest.
Writing in multiple languages? Remember that average word length changes. Use the statistics as a baseline and adjust expectations depending on the language of your audience.
Combine these insights with your preferred style guide to craft clear, concise, and engaging content.