Free Word Counter — Count Words & Characters Online
Instantly count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time. Real-time updates as you type. 100% private — your text never leaves your browser.
Character Limits
How to use the word counter
Type or paste your text into the box above — all statistics update instantly as you type. There is no button to click and no delay. To count words in a document or article, simply copy the text and use the Paste button, or press Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on Mac.
The tool counts every word separated by a space or line break. Characters are counted both with and without spaces. Sentences are detected by full stops, exclamation marks, and question marks. Paragraphs are counted by blank line separations.
Reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute — the average silent reading speed for an adult. Speaking time is estimated at 130 words per minute, the average conversational pace. These estimates are shown automatically once you have more than a few words.
Features
- Real-time word and character count as you type — no button press needed
- Character count with spaces and without spaces
- Sentence count (detects . ! ? punctuation)
- Paragraph count (detects blank line breaks)
- Reading time estimate at 200 words per minute
- Speaking time estimate at 130 words per minute
- Character limit tracker — Twitter/X (280), Instagram Bio (150), Meta Description (155), SMS (160)
- Keyword density analysis — shows your top 5 most-used words with frequency and percentage
- Paste from clipboard button for quick analysis
- 100% private — your text is processed entirely in your browser and never sent to any server
- Works offline — no internet connection required after the page loads
- No account, no signup, and completely free
Character limits — quick reference
The character limit tracker at the right of the tool shows how your text fits against the most common platform restrictions:
- Twitter / X: 280 characters per tweet
- Instagram Bio: 150 characters
- Meta Description: 155 characters recommended for Google search snippets
- SMS Message: 160 characters per standard SMS segment
The progress bar turns yellow when you reach 75% of the limit and red when you exceed it, so you can trim your text before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I count words in a document?
Copy the text from your document (Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C on Windows, or Cmd+A then Cmd+C on Mac) and paste it into the box above. The word count updates instantly with no button to click.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is based on an average adult silent reading speed of 200 words per minute. A 1,000-word article will show a reading time of 5 minutes. Speaking time uses 130 WPM, which is the average conversational speaking pace.
Does this tool save or store my text?
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never sent to any server, stored in a database, or shared in any way. You can use this tool confidently with private or sensitive documents.
Is there a word or character limit?
No. You can paste as much text as you need — entire books, long reports, or any document. The counter handles large amounts of text smoothly.
How long is a 5-minute speech?
At 130 words per minute (conversational speaking pace), a 5-minute speech is approximately 650 words. A 10-minute speech is around 1,300 words.
What is keyword density and why does it matter?
Keyword density shows how often a word appears relative to the total number of meaningful words in your text (common words like "the" and "and" are excluded). For SEO writing, a keyword density of 1–3% for your main term is generally recommended. Above 5% can be seen as keyword stuffing by search engines.
How many words should a meta description be?
Google typically displays meta descriptions up to 155–160 characters. In terms of words, that is roughly 20–30 words. The character limit tracker in this tool will alert you when you approach the 155-character mark.
How many words is a 1-page essay?
A standard single-spaced page contains approximately 500 words. A double-spaced page (as typically required in academic essays) contains approximately 250 words.