Word Counter
Count words, characters and reading time
🔒 100% free · no signup · files never leave your device
Word counts carry real consequences. College admission essays enforce strict 500- or 650-word limits, meta descriptions get truncated in search results after roughly 155 characters, tweets cap at 280, and freelance writers are often paid per word. Reading-time estimates that top every Medium article come from the same math: the average adult reads about 200–250 words per minute, so a 1,200-word piece labels itself a six-minute read.
This free online word counter tracks words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs live as you type or paste — no button to press. The character counter covers both conventions because platforms disagree: Twitter counts every character, while many academic forms count without spaces. Reading time uses the standard 200 wpm assumption so your estimate matches what publishing platforms display. Everything runs in your browser, making it safe for unpublished drafts, legal text or anything confidential.
Why use Word Counter
Hitting essay and application limits
Watch the count in real time while drafting so a 650-word limit never forces a panicked last-minute rewrite.
Writing SEO meta titles and descriptions
Keep titles near 60 characters and descriptions under ~155 so Google shows them fully instead of truncating mid-sentence.
Publishing articles with reading time
Estimate the 'X min read' label editors add to blog posts — readers are more likely to start a piece with an honest time estimate.
Fitting social media character caps
Draft tweets, LinkedIn posts and ad copy against exact platform limits before pasting them into the composer.
Pro tips
- Hyphenated words and URLs count differently across platforms — when a limit is critical, check the count inside the target platform itself.
- Reading time assumes 200 wpm for average prose; technical content is read closer to 150 wpm, so round up for dense articles.
- For meta descriptions, the limit is pixel width, not characters — but ~155 characters is the reliable practical ceiling.
- A sudden jump in characters-without-spaces with no word change usually means pasted invisible formatting — worth cleaning before publishing.
How to use Word Counter
- 1Paste or type your text
- 2Watch live statistics update
- 3Copy stats if needed
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it count characters with spaces?▾
It shows both: characters with spaces and without spaces.
How is reading time calculated?▾
Reading time assumes an average speed of 200 words per minute.