Word Counter

Paste or type text into the box to count words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences and paragraphs, with an estimated reading time at 238 words a minute and speaking time at 150. Everything is counted in your browser; your text is never sent anywhere.

Essays, cover letters, social posts, meta descriptions and application forms all come with limits, and they are not all measured the same way. Some count words, some count characters, and some count characters without spaces. The counter updates as you type, so you can trim to the limit without switching tools.

How the counts work

• Words: anything separated by spaces or line breaks that contains a letter or a number. Hyphenated words and contractions count as one word, and stray symbols are ignored.
• Characters: every character, including spaces, punctuation and line breaks. Emoji and accented letters count as one character each.
• Characters without spaces: the same, with all spaces, tabs and line breaks removed.
• Sentences: text ending in a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis, plus any final sentence without one. Abbreviations such as “e.g.” can occasionally add an extra sentence.
• Paragraphs: blocks of text separated by a blank line.

Reading and speaking time

Reading time uses 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adults reading English non-fiction in Marc Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies covering more than 18,500 readers (fiction averaged 260). The same review puts reading aloud at about 183 words a minute. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace. Real speeds vary a lot between people and between kinds of text, so treat both as estimates.

Reading time, speaking time and pages

Reading time at 238 words a minute, speaking time at 150 words a minute, and approximate page counts at about 500 words per single-spaced page and 250 per double-spaced page.

Words	Reading time	Speaking time	Pages, single-spaced	Pages, double-spaced
100	25 sec	40 sec	0.2	0.4
250	1 min 3 sec	1 min 40 sec	0.5	1
500	2 min 6 sec	3 min 20 sec	1	2
750	3 min 9 sec	5 min	1.5	3
1,000	4 min 12 sec	6 min 40 sec	2	4
1,500	6 min 18 sec	10 min	3	6
2,000	8 min 24 sec	13 min 20 sec	4	8
3,000	12 min 36 sec	20 min	6	12
5,000	21 min 1 sec	33 min 20 sec	10	20

Common length limits

Some length limits people check text against. Platform limits change, so confirm against the current rules.

Text	Typical limit
Meta description (search results)	about 150–160 characters before it is cut off
Page title in search results	about 50–60 characters
Post on X	280 characters (standard accounts)
SMS text message	160 characters per segment (GSM-7)
Common App personal essay	650 words
Abstract for a journal article	often 150–300 words

Tips for hitting a word limit

• Cut filler first. “In order to” becomes “to”; “due to the fact that” becomes “because”.
• Check what counts. Some limits exclude references, headings or the title; others include them.
• Do not rely on page counts. Fonts and spacing change them; word counts do not.
• Read it aloud. If a speech has to fit a time slot, the speaking-time figure is a starting point, but a rehearsal is the real test.

Working on a percentage target instead, such as cutting a draft by 20%? The percentage calculator tells you how many words that is.

Frequently asked questions

How are words counted?

Any run of characters between spaces or line breaks that contains at least one letter or number counts as a word. “Well-known” is one word, “don’t” is one word, and a lone dash or bullet symbol is not counted. This matches the way Microsoft Word and Google Docs count in almost all text.

Does the word counter store or send my text?

No. The counting runs in your browser. Nothing you paste is sent to a server, saved or logged, so it is safe to use with drafts, essays and confidential documents.

How is reading time calculated?

Word count divided by 238 words per minute, the average silent reading rate for adults reading non-fiction found in a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies. Fiction is read a little faster, technical text more slowly.

How long is a 1,000-word speech?

About 6 to 7 minutes at a typical presentation pace of around 150 words a minute. The calculator’s speaking time uses 150 words per minute.

How many pages is 1,000 words?

Roughly 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced, in a 12-point font with standard margins. Page counts vary with font, spacing and headings, so use them as a guide only.

Are characters counted with or without spaces?

Both are shown. Many forms, social posts and translation quotes count characters including spaces; some academic and SEO limits count them without. Line breaks count as characters in the “with spaces” total.