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How to use the word counter
Type or paste your text into the box. The counts update as you write. Nothing you type is uploaded, saved or kept after you leave the page.
What is counted
- Words are the pieces of text separated by spaces. A hyphenated word such as “well-known” counts as one word, and numbers count as words.
- Characters include spaces and punctuation. The second figure leaves out all spaces.
- Sentences are estimated from full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, so they are approximate.
- Paragraphs are blocks of text separated by a blank line.
Reading and speaking time
The calculator estimates reading time at 200 words per minute and speaking time at 130 words per minute, which are common averages for adults. Real times depend on the text, the reader and the speaker.
Example: a 1,000-word article takes about 5 minutes to read and about 8 minutes to speak aloud.
Why another tool may show a different count
Word processors and writing tools use slightly different rules. Some count dashes or symbols as words, some split hyphenated words in two, and some count characters differently. If you are working to a fixed limit, check the count in the tool your editor or platform uses.
Questions about the word counter
Is my text sent to a server?
No. Counting happens in your browser. The text is not saved, even if you have allowed saved preferences on this site.
Does it count hyphenated words as one?
Yes. Words are separated by spaces, so “well-known” is one word and “well known” is two.
How accurate are the sentence counts?
They are estimates. An abbreviation such as “e.g.” or a decimal number can be counted as the end of a sentence.