100% Free

Word Counter

Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs instantly. Free online tool for writers and content creators.

Your Text

0 words | 0 characters
Words
0
Characters
0
with spaces
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
0
Reading Time
0 sec
@ 200 wpm

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How to Use This Tool

  1. 1Type or paste your text in the box above
  2. 2Watch the word count update in real-time
  3. 3View characters, sentences, and paragraphs at a glance
  4. 4Copy your text when you're done editing

Pro Tips

Academic requirements

Most essays require 500-1000 words. Use this tool to stay within limits.

Blog post length

Ideal blog posts are 1,500-2,500 words for SEO. Shorter for social sharing.

Reading time estimate

Average reading speed is 200-250 words per minute for adults.

Character vs word count

Social platforms often use character limits, while academic work uses word counts.

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The Word Counter Writers Actually Use

Whether you are writing an essay with a strict word limit or a blog post optimized for search engines, word count matters. This tool shows you exactly where you stand, updating in real time as you type or paste your text.

Word count requirements vary widely depending on what you are writing. Academic essays typically require 500-1,000 words for short assignments or 2,500-5,000 for research papers. Blog posts perform best at 1,500-2,500 words for SEO. Social media captions work best under 200 words to keep attention.

Beyond just counting words, this tool gives you the full picture. You get character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, and paragraph count. All of these metrics update instantly as you edit, so you can trim or expand your text while watching the numbers.

Reading time estimation helps you understand how long your content takes to consume. The average adult reads about 200 words per minute. A 1,000 word article takes roughly 5 minutes to read. Displaying this estimate on your blog posts sets reader expectations and can increase engagement.

Professional writers use word counters daily. Journalists have tight word limits. Copywriters bill by the word. Students need to hit assignment requirements. This tool handles all of those use cases without sign-ups, downloads, or ads getting in your way.

Key Features:

  • Real-time counting as you type or paste
  • Word, character, sentence, and paragraph counts
  • Character count with and without spaces
  • Reading time estimate based on 200 wpm
  • Works with any language using spaces
  • Private - text never leaves your browser

Frequently Asked Questions

A word is any sequence of characters separated by spaces. Hyphenated words count as one word. Numbers count as words.
Yes, the character count includes spaces. We also show the count without spaces for platforms that don't count them.
We calculate reading time at 200 words per minute, which is the average adult reading speed. Actual times may vary.
Yes! This word counter works with any language that uses space-separated words, including English, Spanish, French, and more.
For SEO, aim for 1,500-2,500 words. Quick tips and news pieces can be 300-600 words. Long-form guides can exceed 3,000 words. Match length to topic depth and reader intent.
Twitter: under 280 characters (roughly 40-50 words). LinkedIn posts: 150-300 words for engagement. Instagram captions: 150-200 words, though you can use up to 2,200 characters.
Copy your text from the PDF or Google Doc and paste it here. Our tool counts words instantly without needing file uploads or downloads.
Once the page loads, the word counter works entirely in your browser. Your text stays private and never leaves your device.

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