Need a word count that goes beyond a bare number — without opening Google Docs or Word for it? This free online word counter shows words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences and paragraphs the moment you start typing, then adds reading time, speaking time, an estimated readability score, your most-repeated words and a check against common platform character limits. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
What is a word counter?
A word counter is a tool that counts the words in a piece of text as you type or paste it, along with related measurements like characters, sentences and paragraphs. Instead of counting by hand or relying on whichever app happens to be open, you get a live, running total the moment text hits the box — useful for anything with a length requirement or limit, from a school essay to a text message.
This one goes a step past a bare number: it also estimates how readable your text is, tracks the words you use most often, and checks your length against a handful of common site and message limits — all calculated locally as you write.
How to use this word counter
It takes a few seconds, and there's nothing to install:
- Type or paste your text into the box. Counts update instantly as you go — there's no button to press.
- Set a word goal if you have one. Enter a target under Goal and watch the progress bar fill in below the counter.
- Check the essentials at a glance. Characters, characters without spaces and sentences stay visible beside the box at all times.
- Open "More stats" for the rest. Paragraphs, reading time, speaking time and an estimated readability score sit behind one click.
- Scroll down for keyword density and platform limits. See your most-repeated words and whether your text fits inside an X/Twitter post, an SMS, an Instagram caption or a meta description.
- Export or clear when you're done. Download your text as a .txt file, export a stats summary to print or save as PDF, or clear everything and start over.
Character, sentence and paragraph counts
Character limits show up everywhere — meta descriptions, SMS messages, form fields — and they rarely match a word count. This counter shows both character totals at all times: the full character count, and the same count with spaces removed. Both use Unicode-aware counting (via the browser's grapheme segmenter, where supported), so an emoji or an accented character counts as one character rather than being quietly split into two or more.
Sentence count is calculated the same live way, using punctuation (., !, ?, …) to find sentence boundaries, including ones followed by a closing quote or bracket. Paragraph count splits on blank lines and sits under "More stats" along with the rest of the secondary figures, so the main view stays focused on the numbers most people check first.
Reading time, speaking time and readability
Beyond raw counts, "More stats" estimates how long your text takes to get through two different ways: reading time at 200 words per minute, and speaking time at 130 words per minute — closer to a natural speaking pace, useful for scripts, speeches or voiceover copy. Alongside them sits an estimated readability score using the Flesch Reading Ease formula, a 0–100 score with a plain-language label running from "Very easy" up to "Very confusing." Because that formula is calibrated for English, the tool shows a short note instead of a misleading score whenever less than 60% of your words are in Latin script.
Keyword density — your most-repeated words
For anything written with SEO or repetition in mind, the Keyword density section lists your five most common words (skipping common stop words like "the" and "and"), each with a raw count and its share of all the meaningful words in your text. On very long text — above roughly 20,000 words — this section, along with the readability estimate, pauses automatically to keep the page responsive; word, character, sentence and paragraph counts keep working regardless of length.
Check your text against platform character limits
Under Platform character limits, four reference badges show your current character count against common limits — an X/Twitter post (280), a meta description (160), an SMS message (160) and an Instagram caption (2200) — with status given as text ("Within limit," "At limit," "Over limit") as well as color, so the reading doesn't depend on color alone. Treat these as useful reference points rather than official platform rules, since some limits vary by context or change over time.
Set a word count goal
If you're writing toward a target — a minimum word count for an assignment, a maximum for a submission — enter it under Goal (500 is the starting default) and a progress bar fills in as you write, changing color once you reach it. Set it to whatever number applies, or leave it as a rough guide rather than a hard rule.
Word count benchmarks
Wondering whether your text is roughly the length it should be? These are general ballpark ranges, not exact rules, since expectations vary by publication, subject and style:
- Short blog post or product description — roughly 300–600 words
- Typical school essay — roughly 500–1,500 words
- SEO-focused article competing for a real keyword — often 1,000–2,000+ words
- Standard printed novel page — roughly 250–300 words
- 5-minute speech at a natural speaking pace — roughly 650–750 words
Use these as a starting point, then let the actual requirement — an assignment brief, a style guide, a platform's limit — decide.
Word counter vs. checking word count in Google Docs or Word
Google Docs and Microsoft Word both show a word count of their own, and if you're already writing in one of them, that built-in count works fine for a quick check. This tool is for the rest of the time: text copied from an email, a text message draft, a comment box, a script written somewhere else entirely, or anywhere you want more than a bare number — character counts with and without spaces, sentence and paragraph counts, reading and speaking time, an estimated readability score, and repeated-word tracking, all in one place without opening a document editor at all.
What can you use a word counter for?
Anywhere text has a length requirement, a limit, or is worth measuring at all:
- Essays and assignments — hit a minimum or stay under a maximum word count
- SEO content and blog posts — track length alongside keyword density as you write
- Social media posts and captions — check against the platform limit badges before you post
- Scripts and speeches — use speaking time rather than reading time to gauge run length
- Emails and cover letters — keep to a professional, readable length
- Translation and editing work — compare a before-and-after word or character count
Your text stays on your device
Everything here runs in your own browser: your text is never uploaded or sent to a server, and it's counted and analyzed locally as you type. It's autosaved to your browser's local storage as you go (with a brief "Saved" indicator), so closing the tab by accident doesn't lose your work, and Clear removes it completely. The only outside request this page makes is to Google Fonts for its typefaces — your text is never part of that request.
Want a closer look at syllables and per-word reading difficulty? Try the Syllable Counter — this tool counts syllables internally for its readability estimate but doesn't show a per-word breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free online word counter?
Yes — this page is one. Type or paste your text and see live counts; no download, account or payment is needed.
Does it count characters with and without spaces?
Yes. Both figures are shown at all times, using Unicode-aware counting so a character like an emoji counts as one character instead of two or more.
Can I see reading time and speaking time, not just word count?
Yes, under "More stats": reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute and speaking time at 130 words per minute.
Does this word counter check readability?
Yes. It estimates a Flesch Reading Ease score from 0 to 100 with a plain-language label, shown under "More stats." Because the formula is calibrated for English, a note appears instead of a score if most of your text isn't in Latin script.
Is there a word counter for PDF files?
No. This tool reads only text you type or paste directly into the box — it doesn't extract text from an uploaded PDF or other file.
Is there a word counter browser extension?
No, this is a web page rather than a browser extension. Bookmark it or add it to your home screen for quick access instead.
Does this word counter use AI?
No. Every count, the readability estimate and the keyword density list are calculated with plain formulas and word-frequency counting, run entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to an AI model or any server.
Is my text saved or uploaded anywhere?
Your text is processed entirely in your browser and is autosaved only to your own browser's local storage, so it's still there if you accidentally close the tab. Nothing is uploaded to a server. The page does load its fonts from Google Fonts, a separate request that never includes your text.