Writing tool
Word Counter
Live counts for words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, plus reading and speaking time and progress against common length targets. Type or paste, nothing is uploaded, and your text is kept on this device only so a refresh does not lose it.
0
Words
0
Characters
0
No spaces
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
0
Lines
0
Unique words
0
Avg word length
0 sec
Reading, 200 wpm
0 sec
Reading, 250 wpm
0 sec
Speaking, 130 wpm
Common length targets
| Document | Typical | You |
|---|---|---|
| Meta description | 155 chars | 0% |
| Tweet or X post | 280 chars | 0% |
| Blog post, short | 500 words | 0% |
| College essay | 650 words | 0% |
| Blog post, standard | 1,200 words | 0% |
| Short story | 5,000 words | 0% |
| Novel | 80,000 words | 0% |
Four steps
How to count words in text
- 1
Add your text
Type directly, or use the paste button to pull from the clipboard.
- 2
Read the counts
Words, characters, sentences and paragraphs update on every keystroke.
- 3
Check the timings
Reading and speaking estimates tell you how long the piece takes to consume.
- 4
Track your target
The progress table shows how close you are to common document lengths.
Which count does your limit actually mean?
“2,000 words” and “12,000 characters” are not interchangeable, and different fields count differently. Before writing to a limit, check which of these applies:
| Context | Counts | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Academic essays | Words | Often excludes references and footnotes |
| SMS | Characters incl. spaces | 160 per message, 70 if using emoji |
| Meta descriptions | Characters | ~155 before truncation |
| Translation quotes | Words or chars excl. spaces | Varies by agency |
| Publishing | Words | Often estimated at 250 per page |
Typical lengths
- Meta description: 155 characters
- Product description: 40–60 words
- University essay: 1,500–3,000 words
- Blog post that ranks: 1,200–2,000 words
- Short story: 1,000–7,500 words
- Novella: 20,000–50,000 words
- Novel: 70,000–100,000 words
- PhD thesis: 70,000–100,000 words
Writing to a limit
The most useful figure on this page is often not the word count but the average word length. Prose averaging above about 5.5 characters per word is usually denser than it needs to be, a signal to replace multi-syllable words with shorter ones rather than to cut sentences.
The unique word count is worth watching too. A ratio of unique to total words below roughly 40% in a short piece suggests repetition you can trim.
Timing a presentation
At a clear delivery pace of 130 words per minute, a five-minute talk is about 650 words and a twenty-minute conference session about 2,600. Most people write far more script than they can deliver, then rush. Write to the number, then cut 10% for pauses and questions.
Related writing tools
The case converter handles title case, sentence case and slugs; the lorem ipsum generator produces placeholder copy at a matched length. For writing on paper, try lined paper or the Cornell notes template.
Answers