Count words, characters and reading time in any text, with or without spaces

Paste or type your text into the word counter and the counts update as you go: words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines, plus a reading time at 200 words a minute and a speaking time at 130. Nothing is sent anywhere; the counting happens in your browser.

Steps

1. Open the word counter and paste your text into Your text.
2. Read the Counts panel. Words is the large figure; below it are Characters, Without spaces, Sentences, Paragraphs and Lines.
3. Check Time for Reading time and Speaking time, each with the speed it assumes.
4. Look at Fits in under the text for live bars against common post and title limits. The guide to character limits for posts, captions and titles explains each one.
5. Press Clear to start again, or Copy text to take the text with you.

What each count means

A few things that surprise people:

• Hyphenated words such as "well-known" usually count as two words, because word rules split at the hyphen. Word processors differ on this, so a count here may be a little higher or lower than another app's.
• Numbers count as words: "Chapter 12" is two words.
• A sentence count is a guide. An abbreviation like "e.g." or a decimal like "3.5" ends a sentence by this rule.
• Line breaks count as characters. Text pasted from a PDF can carry a break at the end of every line; remove them first if they should not count.

Reading time and speaking time

Reading time assumes 200 words a minute, a steady pace for adults reading prose silently. Speaking time assumes 130 words a minute, a calm pace for a talk, a video script or a speech. Both are estimates, and the panel shows the speed so you know what it is based on.

Some quick reference points at those speeds:

For a talk with a fixed slot, write to the speaking time and leave room for pauses and slides. A 5-minute slot holds roughly 650 words at 130 a minute.

Common jobs

• An essay or application with a word limit. Paste the final draft, not an outline, and check the words figure. If the limit says "characters", use Characters unless it says "without spaces".
• A social post or caption. Watch the Fits in bars; each counts the way that platform documents.
• A video script. Aim the speaking time a little under the length you want; reading from a script is usually slower than planned.
• A form field with a strict limit. Copy the exact text you will submit, including line breaks, because those count.

Questions

Does the counter save my text?

Your text stays in your browser. It can appear under recent work on the same device so you can pick up where you left off; it is not uploaded.

Is there a length limit?

No fixed limit. Very long documents are counted in the background so typing stays smooth.

Does it check grammar or readability?

No. It counts. There is no grammar check, readability grade or keyword density.

Why does my word processor show a different number?

Apps split words differently, especially around hyphens, slashes, numbers and emoji. Counts here follow the Unicode rules for word boundaries, which treat every language the same way.