Word Counter
Paste or type your text and the counts update as you go: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and speaking time.
Your text stays on your device. It is never uploaded.
Most used words
Nothing yet.
How it works
A word is a run of letters or numbers. Contractions such as “don’t” and hyphenated words such as “well-known” count as one word. Punctuation on its own is not counted.
Characters are counted as people see them, so an emoji counts as one character. A sentence ends at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space or the end of the text. A paragraph is a block of text separated by a blank line.
Reading time assumes about 238 words per minute, a common average for adults reading silently. Speaking time assumes 150 words per minute, a comfortable pace for a talk or voice-over. Your own pace will differ.
The “most used words” list skips very short words and common filler words such as “the” and “and”, so you see the words that carry meaning.
reading time = words ÷ 238 per minute
speaking time = words ÷ 150 per minuteWorked example: A short essay
A 1,000-word essay takes about 4 minutes 12 seconds to read and about 6 minutes 40 seconds to say out loud.
If a form allows 500 characters, paste your answer and check the character count before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Does it count spaces as characters?
Both numbers are shown. “Characters” includes spaces and line breaks. “Without spaces” leaves them out.
How are words counted in other languages?
Words made of letters and numbers are counted in most alphabets. Languages written without spaces between words, such as Chinese or Japanese, will show lower word counts than you may expect.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. The counting happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
How accurate is the reading time?
It is an estimate. Technical text and small screens slow people down, and light fiction speeds them up.
Why is my count different in another program?
Programs disagree on edge cases like hyphens, numbers with commas and symbols. Small differences are normal.
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Content last reviewed 2026-10-13.