Free Word Counter
Free word counter. Paste any text to count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs, and get an estimated reading time. Updates as you type.
Our free word counter gives you an instant, accurate word count along with characters, sentences, paragraphs, and estimated reading time — everything you need to understand the length and structure of your writing.
How to use the word counter
Paste or type your text into the box above. The word count and all statistics update live as you type — no button needed.
What does the word counter measure?
Words: The total number of words in your text. Words are separated by spaces and line breaks.
Characters: The total number of characters, including spaces and punctuation.
Sentences: The number of sentences, detected by periods, exclamation marks, and question marks.
Paragraphs: The number of paragraphs, separated by blank lines.
Reading time: An estimate based on an average reading speed of 200 words per minute.
When is a word counter useful?
Academic writing: Essays, dissertations, and assignments often have strict word count requirements. Use the counter to stay within your target range.
Content writing and SEO: Blog posts and landing pages perform best within certain word count ranges. Knowing your count helps you hit the mark.
Social media: Some platforms have character or word limits. Check your content length before posting.
Copywriting: Ad copy, email subject lines, and headlines need to be tight. Use the counter to cut unnecessary words.
How are words counted?
Words are counted by splitting your text on whitespace (spaces, tabs, and line breaks) and counting non-empty segments. This matches how most style guides define a word. Hyphenated words (like "well-known") count as one word.