Word Counter
A word counter counts the words in a piece of text, along with characters, sentences, paragraphs, lines and estimated reading time, so you can meet essay, article or form limits.
Count your words
Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time
How to use it
- Type or paste your text.
- Select Count Words & Characters.
- Read the totals for words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, lines and reading time.
How the counts work
- Words are groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks, so “don’t” and “e-mail” count as one word each.
- Sentences end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
- Paragraphs are separated by a blank line.
- Reading time assumes about 200 words per minute, a common average for adult silent reading.
Counts can differ slightly from Microsoft Word or Google Docs, because each program treats symbols, numbers and dashes a little differently. If a limit is strict, check in the program your institution or client uses.
Common word limits
| Text | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Tweet / X post (standard) | 280 characters |
| Meta description | ~120–155 characters |
| Short blog post | 600–1,000 words |
| College application essay | often 250–650 words |
Always follow the exact limit given by the platform or institution.
Hitting a word limit
- Over the limit: cut repeated points first, then long introductions, then adverbs and filler phrases (“it is important to note that”).
- Under the limit: add an example, a counter-argument or a concrete detail rather than padding.
- Check whether your institution counts headings, footnotes, references and captions. Many essay limits exclude the bibliography.
Reading and speaking time
Reading time uses about 200 words per minute. Speaking is slower; many presenters plan around 130–150 words per minute, so a 1,000-word script runs roughly seven minutes aloud.
Frequently asked questions
No. Counting happens in your browser and the text is not uploaded.
Yes. A number such as 2026 or 1,000 counts as one word.
Characters are shown here too; the Character Counter adds detail such as characters without spaces and handles emoji as single characters.
Programs treat dashes, slashes, numbers and symbols slightly differently. A few words’ difference on a long text is normal.
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