Word Counter
This word counter counts words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs as you type or paste, and estimates reading time at 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed. Counting happens in your browser, so your text stays private and the counts update instantly.
Reading time at 238 words per minute, speaking time at 150.
How to use the Word Counter
- Type or paste your text in the Your text box. A sample paragraph is there to start with.
- Read the live counts: words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences and paragraphs.
- Check the reading time estimate below the counts.
- Edit the text and every count updates immediately.
Formula
reading time = words ÷ 238 words per minuteWords are runs of letters, digits, apostrophes and hyphens, so "don't" and "well-known" each count as one word. Sentences end with ., ! or ?, and paragraphs are separated by a blank line. 238 wpm is the average silent reading speed for adults reading English non-fiction (Brysbaert, 2019).
Typical lengths
- Meta description: about 150 to 160 characters
- SMS message: 160 characters
- Email subject line: 30 to 50 characters
- News article: 300 to 800 words
- In-depth blog post: 1,500 to 2,500 words
- College essay: often 500 to 650 words
Privacy
Your text is analysed in your browser and never uploaded.
Word Counter questions
How does the word counter count words?
It counts each run of letters or digits as a word, keeping apostrophes and hyphens inside a word, so "don't" and "state-of-the-art" each count once. Numbers count as words. Punctuation and extra spaces are ignored, which matches how most word processors count.
Does the character count include spaces?
The tool shows both. Characters counts every character including spaces and line breaks, while Without spaces leaves out all whitespace. Social networks and SMS limits usually count spaces; some academic and translation briefs count characters without them. Line breaks count as characters too.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is the word count divided by 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed found in a large 2019 review of reading studies. Technical or dense text reads more slowly, and speaking aloud is slower still, around 130 to 150 words per minute.
How long should a blog post or essay be?
Match the length to the purpose: news pieces run 300 to 800 words, in-depth blog posts 1,500 to 2,500, and academic essays from 1,000 to 5,000 depending on level. For assignments and submissions, always follow the stated word limit. Covering the topic well matters more than reaching a number.
What character limits should I know for the web?
Google typically shows about 150 to 160 characters of a meta description and around 60 characters of a title. SMS messages hold 160 characters, X posts 280, and email subject lines work best at 30 to 50 characters. Paste your draft to check it against these limits.
Should I count headings and references in an academic word count?
Usually body text and headings count, while references, footnotes and appendices do not, but rules differ between institutions. Check the submission guidelines, and count only the sections they include by pasting just those parts into the counter. If in doubt, ask your instructor or editor.
Does word count work for languages other than English?
Yes for languages that separate words with spaces, including accented Latin, Cyrillic and Greek text. Languages written without spaces, such as Chinese and Japanese, are usually measured by characters instead, so use the character count for those. Reading time estimates are based on English text.