Word Counter
Paste or type your text to count words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences and paragraphs as you go, plus a reading time at about 200 words per minute. It’s free, needs no signup and runs in your browser, so your text isn’t uploaded.
Quick answer
To count words, paste or type your text and this free tool tallies words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and estimated reading time live, entirely in your browser.
Last updated: July 2026 · Free · Runs entirely in your browser
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.
- How many words is a page?
- It depends on the font, size, spacing and margins, so treat any figure as a rough guide. A common rule of thumb is about 250 words for a double-spaced page with 1-inch margins and a 12-point font, and roughly twice that single-spaced. For an exact page count, put your text into your document’s required format and check its page count.
- How many words is a 2-minute speech?
- Use the reading and speaking time estimator. It starts at 150 words per minute for speaking, so 2 minutes is about 300 words, and you can change the speed.
- Does it count Hindi and other Indian-language text?
- Yes for words and characters, because it counts anything separated by spaces as a word. Sentences are counted only at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, so text that ends sentences with a danda (।) shows fewer sentences.
- Where can I check title and meta description length?
- Use the Google snippet preview, which shows pixel width as well as characters.
Worked example: checking an assignment against a limit
How to use it
- Paste your draft into the box, or type directly into it.
- Watch the live counts for words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and estimated reading time.
- Compare the word count with your limit before you start editing, so you know whether you need a light trim or a structural cut.
- Edit in the original document if you need formatting, then paste the revised text back to confirm the final count.
- Use Copy if you need the plain text elsewhere, and Clear only when you are ready to remove the current draft from the box.
Use cases / who it's for
- Students: check that an essay sits inside a word limit and see whether one very long paragraph should be split.
- Writers and bloggers: estimate reading time before publishing and notice when an introduction has grown longer than the useful part.
- Job applicants: keep a cover letter or short answer within a form's character limit, including the version that counts characters without spaces.
- Social and marketing writers: test a caption, bio or advertisement against a strict character allowance before pasting it into the platform.
Example
Your assignment limit is 800 words and the counter shows 934 words, 6 sentences in the longest section and about 5 minutes of reading time. Rather than deleting random lines, look for repeated points: if the introduction and conclusion make the same claim in similar words, shorten one. Paste the revised draft back and check again. At 812 words, remove a single supporting example instead of cutting the argument itself. The sentence and paragraph counts help you spot where the extra length is hiding.
Tips / common mistakes
- Confirm whether a limit counts words, all characters, or characters without spaces. They produce different results.
- Do not paste formatted text and assume the formatting will be preserved on Copy. This is a plain-text counter.
- Reading time is an estimate based on about 200 words per minute; a technical document will usually take readers longer.
- If a draft is far over the limit, cut whole examples first. Sentence-by-sentence trimming is slow and can make writing choppy.
FAQ
Does the counter save my text?
The page describes counting in your browser with nothing uploaded. Do not rely on it as document storage; keep your draft in your usual editor as well.
Why are sentence counts sometimes surprising?
Abbreviations, decimals and punctuation can affect how sentences are detected. Use the figure as a guide and read the draft yourself.
Can I check reading time for a speech?
Only roughly. Speaking is usually slower than silent reading, so practise aloud and time yourself for an accurate answer.
Keeping a longer draft organised alongside its notes and next actions is easier in a dedicated workspace than in a single text box.
Keep going: Readability Score Calculator · Text Case Converter · Text to Speech.