Text & Writing
Free Word Counter
Count words, characters and reading time as you type.
Free to useNo sign-up requiredNo watermarkRuns in your browser
This free word counter gives you the count the moment you start typing - words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines, and how long the text takes to read or read aloud. There is no button to press and nothing to sign up for.
It is built for the situations where the number actually matters: an essay with a word limit, a meta description that has to fit, a talk that has to run to time, or a social post with a hard character cap.
How this tool works
Type or paste your text
Every figure updates live. You can also load a .txt or .md file if the text is long enough that pasting is awkward.
Read the count you need
Words leads, but characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines are all shown at once so you do not have to switch tools.
Check the timings
Reading time assumes 200 words a minute and speaking time 130, which are the usual planning figures for silent reading and presenting.
Copy the text or the counts
Copy your text back out, or copy the statistics as a short summary to paste into a brief or an email.
How it works
Words are counted as runs of characters separated by whitespace, which is the same rule Microsoft Word and Google Docs use. A hyphenated word counts once; a number with a space in it counts twice.
Sentences are counted at full stops, question marks and exclamation marks - but a full stop inside a number is ignored, so "It costs 1,234.56 dollars." is correctly one sentence rather than two. Runs like "..." and "!?" count once.
Paragraphs are separated by a blank line, matching how people actually write. Lines count every line break, including the empty ones, which is what you want when a form limits the number of lines.
Everything runs in your browser as you type. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no delay waiting for a server to answer.
Word limits worth knowing
Most word limits are set by a platform rather than by taste. These are the ones people check most often.
| SEO page title | About 60 characters before truncation |
|---|---|
| Meta description | About 155 characters |
| Tweet / X post | 280 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| UCAS personal statement | 4,000 characters or 47 lines |
| Typical blog post | 1,000 to 2,000 words |
| Conference talk, 20 minutes | About 2,600 words |
Why the count can differ from Word
- Word counts text in footnotes, headers and text boxes if you ask it to. Pasting only the body here will give a lower number.
- Some editors treat an em dash between words as a separator; this counter follows the whitespace rule, so "well—known" is one word.
- Numbers with spaces as thousand separators, like "1 234", count as two words in every tool that splits on whitespace.
- If a limit is close, always check in the tool your marker or platform will use. Counters agree on ordinary prose and differ at the edges.
Worked examples
A 500-word essay
Paste the draft and watch the word count. At 200 words a minute it reads in about three minutes, which is a useful sanity check for a spoken presentation.
Fitting a meta description
Watch the character count and stop at around 155. Anything longer is usually cut off in search results.
Timing a talk
A 20-minute slot is roughly 2,600 words at a comfortable speaking pace. The speaking time figure tells you whether the script fits.
Frequently asked questions
Is this word counter free?
Yes - completely free, with no sign-up, no limit on how much text you paste and no watermark on anything.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Your text never leaves your device. Everything is processed by your browser as you type, so nothing is uploaded, stored or logged - which matters when the text is a draft, a contract or anything confidential.
How is reading time calculated?
Words divided by 200, rounded up to the next whole minute. Two hundred words a minute is the usual figure for an adult reading silently. Speaking time uses 130 words a minute, which is a comfortable presenting pace.
Does it count words the same way as Microsoft Word?
For ordinary prose, yes - both split on whitespace. Differences appear only at the edges, such as text in footnotes or unusual punctuation. If a limit is tight, check in the tool that will actually assess your work.
Can I count characters without spaces?
Yes, it is shown alongside the total. Application forms and some academic limits are specified without spaces, which can be several hundred characters different on a long piece.
Is there a limit on how much text I can paste?
No fixed limit. Very long documents - hundreds of thousands of words - may feel slower to type into, because the counts update on every keystroke.
Guides for this tool
How many pages is 500 words?
500 words is about one page single-spaced or two pages double-spaced - though font, size and spacing all change the answer. Paste any text to get an exact estimate for its actual formatting.
X (Twitter) character limit checker
The standard X/Twitter limit is 280 characters - check exactly how many you have used, including how links and emoji are actually counted, before you hit post.
Instagram caption character limit
Instagram allows up to 2,200 characters per caption, but only the first ~125 show before "more" - here is how to check your caption length and what that preview cutoff means for your writing.