Word Counter
Count words, characters, and sentences in your text instantly.
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Quick Tip
Type or paste your text into the box.
About This Tool
Why use Word Counter?
Counts words, characters with and without spaces, and estimated reading time as you type. Words are split on whitespace, so hyphenated terms count as one and numbers count as words — the same convention word processors use.
Reading time is based on 200 words per minute, a standard average for adult readers of general prose. Character counts are the ones that matter for platform limits: 60 characters for an SEO title before truncation, 155 for a meta description, and 280 for a post on X.
Key Benefits
Live counting
Everything updates as you type, so you can trim to a limit while editing.
With and without spaces
Different platforms count differently; both figures are shown.
Reading time included
A 200 wpm estimate, the figure most publishing tools use for a "min read" label.
How to use Word Counter
- 1
Type or paste your text into the box.
- 2
Watch the word and character counts update live.
- 3
Use characters without spaces when a limit is defined that way.
- 4
Check the reading time estimate against the length you are aiming for.
Best use cases
Keep an essay or assignment within a word limit.
Trim a meta description to fit search result snippets.
Check a social post against its character limit.
Estimate how long an article takes to read.
Word Counter FAQs
How are words counted?
By splitting on spaces and line breaks. Hyphenated words count as one, and standalone numbers count as words — the same as most word processors.
How many words is a 5-minute read?
About 1,000 at 200 words per minute. Technical material reads slower, so allow more time for it.
What character limits should I aim for?
Around 60 characters for a page title and 155 for a meta description before search engines truncate them; 280 characters for a post on X.
Is my text stored?
No. Counting happens in the browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
Related SEO Tools
More free seo tools that work well alongside word counter.