What it does
Paste or type your text and the counts update as you go: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and how long the text takes to read or to say out loud. It also shows the words you use most, which helps you spot a word you repeat too often or check that a keyword appears about as often as you want.
You can pick a limit, such as a post on X (280 characters), a search page description (160 characters) or a statement of purpose (1000 words), or set your own. The tool tells you how many are left, or how many you are over, and shows the part that goes over the limit highlighted. Everything runs on your device; nothing you type is sent anywhere. For journal abstracts see abstract word counter, and to judge how easy the text is to read use readability checker.
How to use it
- Paste or type your text in the box.
- Read the counts under it.
- Under Check a limit, choose a preset or My own limit.
- If you are over, the extra part shows in a highlighted box. Cut it, then watch the number fall.
What each setting does
- Preset: a ready-made limit in words or characters. Different places count differently, so check the rules of the site or school you are sending to.
- My own limit: type a number and choose words or characters.
- Leave out common words: hides words like “the” and “and” from the most-used list. Turn it off to see every word.
Worked example
The text “Hello world. This is a test!” has 6 words, 28 characters including spaces, 23 without spaces and 2 sentences. With the 5-word limit set as your own, it is 1 word over, and the word “test!” is highlighted. Six words take about 2 seconds to read.
FAQs
How are words counted? Any run of characters between spaces or line breaks is one word, the same way most word processors count.
Why is my count different in Word? Programs treat dashes, numbers and symbols a little differently, so counts can differ by a few words.
How are sentences counted? By full stops, question marks and exclamation marks. Short forms such as “Dr.” can add a sentence.
Are my words stored? No. Nothing is saved or sent.
Where the numbers come from
- Reading time uses 238 words a minute (Brysbaert, 2019, silent reading of non-fiction) and speaking time 150 words a minute, a common speech rate. Limits are the usual published ones; check the exact limit of the place you submit to.
Standard scientific values, such as constants, atomic weights and melting points, are facts found in every textbook; we name where ours were checked. If you are an author or publisher and want a value, a credit or a table changed or removed, tell us and we will act quickly.
Last updated 2026-11-10.