Word Counter
Type or paste text to count its words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, with reading and speaking time. It counts English, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese and other languages.
Text input
Try sample texts:
Statistics
A word is any run of text between spaces that has a letter or digit in it, so "e-mail" and a link each count once. Reading time assumes 200 words a minute, speaking time 150.
How to count words and characters
- Type or paste your text into the box. The numbers change as you type, so there is no button to press.
- Read the tiles beside it: characters with and without spaces, words, sentences, paragraphs, and reading and speaking time in minutes. Both times are rounded up to the next whole minute.
- Working to a limit, such as a 250-word essay or a 160-character meta description? Edit right in the box and watch the count. Copy text puts the edited version on your clipboard. Need different capitals? Paste the text into Text Case Converter.
- Click Clear text when you are ready for the next piece.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter count words?
It counts each run of text between spaces that holds at least one letter or digit. A hyphenated word such as well-known counts once, and so do a web address and a number like 3.14. A dash or an emoji on its own is not a word. Chinese, Japanese and Thai are written without spaces, so those parts are split into words by your browser's built-in word segmenter.
Why is my count different from Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
Each program draws the line differently for a few edge cases. A dash with spaces around it, an emoji, or text in footnotes and text boxes can be counted one way there and another way here. If the totals differ by a few words, look at those spots first.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 5 minutes at the 200 words per minute this tool uses for reading time. A 2019 review of 190 studies put the average adult silent reading speed for English non-fiction at 238 words per minute, so most readers will be a little quicker than the estimate.
Sources: Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language (2019), How many words do we read per minute?
How many words is a 5 minute speech?
Around 750 words at 150 words per minute, the pace behind the speaking time tile. The same 2019 review found an average of 183 words per minute when people read aloud. Real talks have pauses, so read your draft out once with a timer before the day.
Sources: Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language (2019), How many words do we read per minute?
Does it count characters with or without spaces?
Both. Characters counts everything, spaces and line breaks included. No spaces leaves out every kind of whitespace. An emoji or an accented letter counts as one character, the way you see it on screen.
How are sentences and paragraphs counted?
A sentence ends at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space or the end of the text, so 3.14 does not split a sentence. The Urdu full stop (۔) and question mark (؟) count too. A paragraph is a block separated by a blank line; a single line break does not start a new one.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. The counting runs in your browser and the text is not sent anywhere or stored. Closing the tab clears it.