Word Counter
Words, characters, and reading time.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded or sent to a server.
Counts update live using simple word and sentence rules — a specific platform (a tweet, an SMS, a form) may count characters a little differently, so check against the real limit when it's tight. Read our full disclaimer.
About this tool
Paste or type text and get live counts: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines, numbers, special characters, and an estimated reading time. It's built for anywhere you're writing to a limit — an essay or assignment word count, a ~155-character meta description, a social post, a form field, or a talk you're timing. Everything updates as you type and runs entirely in your browser, so even long or unpublished drafts are never uploaded.
Handy for
Meta descriptions (~155 characters), essay word counts, and reading-time estimates for articles (~200 words per minute).
How to use
- 1Type or paste your text into the box.
- 2Watch the counts update live as you write.
- 3Use them to hit a word or character limit.
Features
- Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and lines.
- Characters with and without spaces.
- Counts of numbers and special characters in the text.
- Estimated reading time.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is 500 characters?
It depends on word length, but English averages roughly 5–6 characters per word plus a space, so 500 characters is very approximately 80–100 words. Paste your text to see the exact figure — the word and character counts both update live.
Does it count spaces and punctuation?
You get both: characters with spaces (the total, which is what most platforms limit) and characters without spaces. Punctuation is always part of the character count, but a run of punctuation on its own isn't counted as a word.
What counts as a word?
Any run of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. So 'well-known' and 'e.g.' each count as one word, and a number like '2026' counts too — the same way most word processors tally a word count.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. The counting happens entirely in your browser as you type — nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored — so it's safe for drafts, private notes, or unpublished work.
How is reading time estimated?
It assumes an average silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute and rounds up, a common baseline for articles. Dense or technical text reads slower, so treat it as a guide rather than an exact time.
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