A fast word counter online for essays, posts and more
Whether you are trimming an essay to a strict limit, fitting a product description into a marketplace field or checking how long a speech will run, an accurate count saves guesswork. This word counter online updates as you type and shows every number on one screen.
Beyond words, it works as a character counter with and without spaces, a sentence counter and a paragraph counter. It also counts unique words to help you spot repetition, and estimates how long your text takes to read silently or speak aloud.
Your writing stays private. The counting happens in your browser with plain JavaScript, so nothing you paste or upload is sent anywhere. You can also open a .txt file from your device and the text loads straight into the box.
Different tools count slightly differently, so it helps to know the rules used here. Words are runs of letters or numbers, so a hyphenated term or a contraction counts once. Characters include every letter, digit, punctuation mark, space and line break, while the second total leaves out all whitespace. The details are explained in the questions below.
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How to count words and characters
- 1
Type in the text box, paste your writing, or click Open .txt file to load a plain text document.
- 2
Watch the counts for words, characters, sentences and paragraphs update instantly as you edit.
- 3
Check the reading and speaking time estimates to see how long your text will take.
- 4
Click Clear to start again with a fresh new piece of writing.
What this word counter measures
Words and unique words
See the total word count alongside the number of distinct words, which helps you notice when you lean on the same terms.
Character counter
Get character totals with and without spaces, useful for meta descriptions, social posts and form fields with limits.
Sentence and paragraph counts
Sentences are split on full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, and paragraphs on blank lines.
Reading and speaking time
Estimates use about 238 words per minute for silent reading and 130 words per minute for speaking aloud.
Private and instant
Counting runs in your browser as you type. Your text is not uploaded, saved or shared.
Open text files
Load a plain .txt file from your computer or phone instead of copying and pasting, and the counts appear immediately.
Who uses a word and character counter
- Students keeping essays, personal statements and application answers within a word limit.
- Marketers fitting ad copy, meta descriptions and social posts into strict character counts.
- Speakers and presenters estimating how long a talk or wedding speech will take to deliver.
- Writers and editors checking chapter lengths and spotting repeated vocabulary.
- Translators and freelancers who quote or invoice clients by the word or by the character.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter decide what a word is?
A word is any run of letters or numbers. Hyphenated words and contractions such as don't count as one word.
Does the character count include spaces?
Both versions are shown: one total with spaces and line breaks, and one with all whitespace removed.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time assumes about 238 words per minute and speaking time about 130, which are common averages for adults.
Is my text stored or uploaded?
No. All counting happens in your browser, and the text disappears when you close or refresh the page.
Can I count words in a Word document?
Copy the text from your document and paste it into the box, or save it as a .txt file and open that here.