Word Counter & Text Statistics
Paste or type your text and watch the word count update with every keystroke. You also get characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, an estimated page count, reading and speaking time, and your ten most-used words. Free, no sign-up, and the text never leaves your browser.
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Words
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Characters
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Characters (no spaces)
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Sentences
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Paragraphs
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Pages (250 w/p)
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Reading Time
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Speaking Time
How to Use the Word Counter
- Paste or type your text. The counts start at the first character and update as you edit, so there is no button to press.
- Read the word count first. It is the large figure at the top left. Characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and pages sit beside it.
- Check the time estimates. Reading time divides your words by 200 a minute and speaking time by 130 a minute. The page figure assumes 250 words a page, rounded up.
- Scan the top ten words. If one word you did not mean to lean on appears near the top, vary it in your next edit.
What Counts as a Word Here
This counter uses the same rule as most word processors: a word is any run of characters between spaces, tabs or line breaks. It does not try to decide what is a "real" word, so the results are predictable and you can reproduce them by hand.
| Text | Words counted | Why |
|---|---|---|
well-known, state-of-the-art | 1 each | Hyphens join; there is no space to split on. |
don't, it's | 1 each | An apostrophe is part of the word. |
10,000, 3.5%, 2024 | 1 each | Numbers are words if they stand alone between spaces. |
https://example.com/data | 1 | A web address has no spaces, so it is one word however long it is. |
word—word (no spaces) | 1 | An unspaced em dash does not split a word here. |
word — word (spaced dash) | 3 | The dash sits between spaces, so it counts as a word of its own. |
and/or | 1 | A slash is not a separator. |
The sentence figure is rougher. It splits at every full stop, exclamation mark and question mark, so "Dr. Smith", "3.5" and "example.com" each add a sentence. For an abbreviation-aware count, use the Sentence Counter. Paragraphs are separated by a blank line, not by a single line break.
Why Your Count Differs From Word or Google Docs
Two programs can disagree on the same essay by several percent, and almost always for one of three reasons:
- What is in scope. Google Docs counts the whole document except headers, footers and footnotes. Microsoft Word shows a count that you can set to include or leave out text boxes, footnotes and endnotes. If your essay has footnotes, the two programs will not match.
- Dashes and slashes. Programs differ on how an unspaced dash is treated, so a text with many dashes may count differently. If it matters, type one sentence into each tool and compare.
- What you pasted. Copying from a PDF can bring line-break hyphens, page numbers and running headers with it. Paste into a plain-text editor first if the number looks too high.
Does your limit exclude the references?
If your instructor says the limit excludes the reference list, in-text citations or headings, use the Academic Word Counter. It removes those and shows exactly what it removed.
Word Counts for Common Assignments
Pages are a poor unit because font, margins and spacing change them, but they are how many assignments are set. At the 250 words per double-spaced page this counter assumes, and the 200 and 130 words a minute it uses for time, the numbers below are what you will see. For other fonts or spacing, use the Words Per Page Calculator.
| Words | Pages (250 w/p) | Reading time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 2 | 2 min 30 sec | 3 min 51 sec |
| 650 | 3 | 3 min 15 sec | 5 min |
| 1,000 | 4 | 5 min | 7 min 42 sec |
| 1,500 | 6 | 7 min 30 sec | 11 min 32 sec |
| 2,000 | 8 | 10 min | 15 min 23 sec |
| 2,500 | 10 | 12 min 30 sec | 19 min 14 sec |
The Common App personal essay has a 650-word maximum, so the 650-word row doubles as a reminder to leave a little room. Check the current instructions for any application: some, such as UCAS, count characters instead of words, which is a job for the Character Counter.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| If you want… | Use |
|---|---|
| A character limit (tweet, meta description, application box) | Character Counter |
| Words without the reference list or citations | Academic Word Counter |
| How often every word appears | Word Frequency Counter |
| A precise reading or speech time | Reading Time Calculator |
| Pages for a given font and spacing | Words Per Page Calculator |
| Paragraph or sentence length | Paragraph Counter or Sentence Counter |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How does an online word counter count words?
- It splits your text wherever there is a space, tab or line break and counts the pieces. That is why "well-known" is one word and "word — word" is three. The rule is simple and consistent, which makes the figure easy to check by hand.
- Do hyphenated words, numbers and URLs count as one word?
- Yes. Anything without a space inside it is one word, including "mother-in-law", "10,000" and a full web address. A free-standing dash with spaces around it counts as its own word.
- Why is my word count different in Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
- Usually scope. Google Docs leaves out headers, footers and footnotes, and Word lets you include or exclude text boxes, footnotes and endnotes. Pasted PDF text can also add page numbers and stray hyphens. Compare the same plain text in both tools and the gap normally closes.
- Do headings, references and citations count towards the limit?
- That is set by the assignment, not by the counter. Many courses exclude the reference list and sometimes in-text citations, headings and quotations. Read the brief, and if it excludes any of them use the Academic Word Counter, which removes each and reports the totals.
- How many words are on a page?
- About 250 for a double-spaced page in a 12-point serif font with one-inch margins, and about 500 single-spaced. This tool uses 250 and rounds up, so 251 words show as 2 pages. Different fonts and spacing move the number, so use the Words Per Page Calculator for a specific setup.
- Why do the reading time here and in the Reading Time Calculator differ?
- This page divides by 200 words a minute, a round and slightly slow figure. The Reading Time Calculator uses 238, the average silent reading rate for English non-fiction in Brysbaert's 2019 review of 190 studies, so it gives shorter times. Use that page when you want the researched rate.
- Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
- No. The counting runs in your browser and the text is not uploaded, saved or shared. Closing the tab clears it.