What this tool counts
- Words: sequences of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. "Don't" counts as one word, as in most word processors.
- Characters: every symbol, spaces included. This is the number that matters for social media and online form limits.
- Characters without spaces: useful for translation rates and some editorial guidelines.
- Sentences and paragraphs: sentences end with a full stop, exclamation or question mark; paragraphs are separated by a blank line.
- Reading time: estimated at 200 words per minute (silent reading) and 130 words per minute (out loud, as in a speech or a video).
Limits worth remembering
A post on X/Twitter can have at most 280 characters, a classic SMS 160, an Instagram caption 2,200. A web page's "meta description" is usually truncated by Google at around 155 characters. A typical college essay is between 500 and 1,000 words; a standard manuscript page is about 250 words.
Most frequent words
The list of the most used words (excluding grammatical ones such as articles and prepositions) helps you spot repetition and check that the keywords of a web text actually appear.
Your text never leaves your device: the counting happens in the browser.
Frequently asked questions
How is reading time calculated?
By dividing the number of words by 200, the average speed of an adult reader. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute.
Does the count match Microsoft Word?
In the vast majority of cases yes: both count every group of characters separated by spaces as a word. Small differences can arise from isolated symbols or numbers.
Do characters include spaces?
The "Characters" figure includes spaces; "Characters without spaces" excludes them. Social media limits count spaces.