How to use the Word Counter tool
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- Read the counts that update as you type.
- Check the top keywords to spot words you repeat too often.
Why count words?
Many texts have strict limits. School essays and college applications ask for a set number of words, journalists write to a word count, and translators and copywriters are often paid per word. Character limits matter just as much online:
- Google shows about 50 to 60 characters of a page title and 150 to 160 of a meta description.
- X (Twitter) allows 280 characters per post.
- An SMS holds 160 Latin characters.
- Instagram captions are cut after 125 characters in the feed.
How the counts work
Words are sequences of letters and digits, so “don’t” and “e-mail” count as one word each, and numbers count as words. Characters include spaces and line breaks; the second count excludes all whitespace. Reading time assumes 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed, and speaking time assumes 150 words per minute, a typical presentation pace.
Keyword density shows the ten most frequent meaningful words, ignoring common ones like “the” and “and”. If one word makes up more than 3 to 4 percent of a text, consider using synonyms.
Privacy
Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server or stored. You can safely paste drafts, essays and confidential documents.
Frequently asked questions
Does the word counter work in other languages?
Yes. It counts words in any language that separates words with spaces, including German, Spanish, Russian and French.
How many words is a page?
About 500 words single-spaced or 250 words double-spaced, with a 12 pt font and normal margins.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes for silent reading and about 7 minutes to read aloud.
Is my text saved?
No. The text exists only in this browser tab and disappears when you close it.