Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time instantly.
The Word Counter analyzes your text and instantly displays word count, character count, sentence count, paragraph count, and estimated reading time. Everything runs in your browser — no text is ever sent to a server. It is useful for essays, blog posts, social media captions, or any piece of writing with a word or character limit.
How to use
- Paste or type your text into the input area.
- Results update automatically as you type — no button needed.
- Check the statistics panel for word count, character count, reading time, and more.
When to use
Academic writing and essays
Most college application essays have a 650-word limit. Academic assignments typically specify 500–5,000 words. Paste your draft to verify you are within the required range before submitting.
Content marketing and SEO
Blog posts between 1,500 and 2,500 words tend to rank better on Google for informational keywords. Use this counter to hit your target length before publishing or to benchmark competitor article lengths.
Presentations and speeches
The average speaker delivers 130–150 words per minute. Check your script word count to estimate speaking time — useful for conference talks, pitches, and video scripts with a fixed time slot.
Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the word counter work?
The counter splits your text by whitespace to count words. Characters are counted both including and excluding spaces. Sentences are detected by period, exclamation, and question marks.
Does this word counter work offline?
Yes. All counting happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
What counts as a word?
Any sequence of non-whitespace characters separated by a space, tab, or newline counts as one word.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is based on the average adult reading speed of 200 words per minute.
Is there a maximum text length?
No. The counter works on any length of text — short captions or full documents alike.
How many words is a college essay?
The Common App essay has a 650-word hard limit. Other college application supplements typically range from 150 to 400 words. Always check the specific limit for each school or program before submitting.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
At the average speaking pace of 130–150 words per minute, a 5-minute speech is approximately 650–750 words. Use the reading time estimate in this counter as a starting guide — actual speaking pace varies by person.
How many words should a blog post be?
For SEO-focused informational content, 1,500–2,500 words is a reliable target. Product pages and landing pages perform better at 300–500 words. Match length to the user's intent — longer is not always better.
How many words is a paragraph?
A standard paragraph is 100–200 words, or 3–5 sentences. For web content, shorter paragraphs of 50–75 words improve readability on mobile screens.