Free Word & Character Counter
Type or paste your text to instantly count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time. Everything runs in your browser - your text is never sent anywhere.
What this tool counts
This counter gives you eight live stats as you type: words, total characters, characters excluding spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines, and estimated reading and speaking time. Words are counted by splitting on whitespace, characters are the raw length of your text, and sentences and paragraphs are detected from punctuation and blank lines. Everything updates instantly with every keystroke - no button to press, no waiting.
Why word & character counts matter
Most writing has a limit. Search engines truncate title tags around 60 characters and meta descriptions around 155–160. Social platforms cap posts. Essays, applications, and assignments specify exact word counts. Ad copy and SMS messages have hard character ceilings. Knowing your count before you publish or submit saves you from awkward truncation or a rejected form - and helps you write tighter, more deliberate text.
Common character & word limits
A quick reference for popular limits: X/Twitter posts allow 280 characters; an SMS text is 160 characters before it splits; Google typically shows about 60 characters of a title tag and 155–160 of a meta description in search results; LinkedIn posts allow up to about 3,000 characters; Instagram captions up to 2,200. Academic essays are usually set in words (e.g. 500, 1,000, or 2,500) rather than characters. Use the live counts above to stay within whichever limit applies to you.
How reading & speaking time are estimated
Reading time assumes an average silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute, which is typical for adults reading general text. Speaking time assumes roughly 130 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace. These are estimates - your actual pace depends on the material and audience - but they are a reliable guide for sizing a blog post, script, or speech. Anything under a minute simply shows "< 1 min".
How to use this tool
Type directly into the box or paste text from anywhere - the stats above update as you go. Use Copy to put the text on your clipboard, or Clear to start over. Because all counting happens locally in your browser, you can use it on sensitive or unpublished text without it ever leaving your device, and it keeps working even if you go offline.
Frequently asked questions
Is this word counter free? +
Yes - completely free, with no signup and no limits on how much text you can count.
Does it store or send my text anywhere? +
No. All counting happens in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, stored, or sent to any server - it stays on your device.
How is a "word" counted? +
A word is any run of non-whitespace characters separated by spaces, tabs, or line breaks. So "don't" counts as one word and "rock-solid" counts as one word, the same way most word processors count.
How accurate is the reading time? +
Reading time is an estimate based on about 200 words per minute, and speaking time on about 130 words per minute. Real pace varies by reader, content, and audience, so treat them as a helpful guide rather than an exact figure.
Does it work offline? +
Once the page has loaded, yes. The counter runs entirely in your browser, so it keeps working without an internet connection.