Word Counter

How to use the word counter

Type directly in the box or paste your text, and the counts update instantly: words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and an estimated reading time. Nothing is uploaded, so your writing stays on your device. Use the Copy button to grab the text and Clear to start over.

What it counts

Words are groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Characters is the full total, and no spaces excludes spaces, which matters for limits that count only visible characters. Sentences are counted by sentence-ending punctuation, and paragraphs by blank-line breaks. Reading time is estimated at about 200 words per minute, a typical adult pace.

When a word count matters

• Students and writers hitting an essay or assignment limit.
• Staying inside a character limit for a tweet, meta description, or ad.
• Checking blog-post length for SEO and reading time.
• Keeping a bio, caption, or form field within bounds.

Writing something longer? Check how easy it is to read with the readability score calculator, or fix capitalization fast with the case converter. Browse all free tools.

Free and private

This word counter is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

Frequently asked questions

How does the word counter count words?

It counts each group of characters separated by spaces or line breaks as one word, updating live as you type or paste text.

Does it count characters with and without spaces?

Yes. It shows the total character count and a separate count that excludes spaces, which is useful for limits that ignore spaces.

Is this word counter free?

Yes. It is completely free, needs no signup, and runs in your browser.

Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No. Counting happens in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

How is reading time calculated?

Reading time is estimated at about 200 words per minute and rounded up to the next minute.