Word Counter

What is word counter?

A word counter is one of the most used writing tools online. Students check essay limits, writers hit article targets, marketers keep captions within limits and translators bill by the word.

This one also estimates reading time at about 238 words per minute and speaking time at 150 words per minute, which helps with speeches, videos and podcasts.

How to use the word counter

1. Type or paste your text into the box.
2. Counts update live. Nothing is sent to a server.
3. Check the top words list to spot repetition.

How the word counter works

Words are runs of non space characters. Sentences are groups of text ending in a period, question mark or exclamation mark. Paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line. Reading and speaking times divide the word count by average speeds.

Worked example

Common uses of the word counter

• Keeping an essay or assignment within a word limit.
• Hitting the length target of a blog post or article.
• Estimating reading time for newsletters and posts.
• Timing a speech, a video script or a presentation.
• Checking translation quotes that are priced per word.

Tips and common mistakes

Use the top words list to find overused words. Replace a few with synonyms or cut them.

Short sentences read faster. If your average sentence is long, split a few.

Background: what to know before you rely on it

Word counts matter in many fields. University essays have limits, magazines pay by the word and search engines tend to reward pages that fully cover a topic, though there is no ideal length. A typical adult reads about 200 to 250 words per minute on screen and speaks at about 130 to 160. A 1,000 word script therefore runs about 7 minutes aloud. Counting methods differ slightly. Some tools count hyphenated words as one, others as two, and word processors may count numbers and symbols differently. If a limit is strict, check which tool your teacher or editor uses.

Private, free and fast

This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you type or choose is not uploaded to a server and is not saved after you close the page, which keeps it fast and private. It is free to use as often as you like. See more in all text tools, or browse the full list of tools.

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