A fast, private word counter
This word counter gives you a live breakdown of your writing the moment you start typing. It tracks words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and an estimated reading time — everything you need to hit a length target for an essay, a meta description, a tweet, or an assignment with a strict word limit.
Because it runs entirely in your browser, there's no lag and no upload. You can paste a whole draft in and the numbers appear instantly, with nothing sent to a server.
How each count is measured
- Words — your text is split on any run of whitespace and the non-empty pieces are counted. Hyphenated terms like well-known count as a single word; runs of extra spaces are ignored.
- Characters — every character, including spaces and line breaks.
- Characters (no spaces) — the same total with all whitespace removed, matching limits that count only visible characters.
- Sentences — counted by terminal punctuation (. ! ?), so a normal paragraph resolves to a sensible number.
- Paragraphs — blocks of text separated by one or more blank lines.
- Reading time — word count ÷ 225 words per minute, a common average silent-reading speed, rounded up.
Common word and character limits
A word counter is most useful when you're writing to a target. A few limits worth knowing:
Paste your draft above and watch the relevant count so you can trim or expand to fit without guessing.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter count words?
It splits your text on any run of whitespace (spaces, tabs and line breaks) and counts the resulting chunks. Hyphenated words like "well-known" count as one word, and extra spaces between words are ignored.
Is my text private?
Yes. The counter runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type or paste is ever sent to a server, logged or stored — close the tab and it's gone.
How is reading time estimated?
Reading time is your word count divided by an average silent reading speed of about 225 words per minute, then rounded up to the nearest minute. It's an estimate — actual speed varies by reader and material.
What is the difference between characters and characters without spaces?
The character count includes every character you type, including spaces and line breaks. The "no spaces" count excludes all whitespace, which is useful when a limit counts only visible characters.