How to use the word counter
Paste or type into the box. The counts at the top update as you type: words, characters, sentences and paragraphs. Below the text you’ll find characters without spaces, line count, average word length, estimated reading and speaking time, and how far you are from common character limits. The most frequent words in your text appear at the bottom — useful for spotting repetition or checking keyword density.
Common word and character limits
| Platform / format | Limit |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| SMS text message | 160 characters |
| Google meta description | ~155–160 characters |
| Google title tag | ~60 characters |
| College application essay (Common App) | 650 words |
| Typical blog post | 1,000–2,000 words |
| Novel | 70,000–100,000 words |
Pages, words and reading time
A typical double-spaced, 12-point page holds about 275 words; single-spaced, about 550. So a 1,500-word essay is roughly 5–6 double-spaced pages. At 238 words per minute, the same essay takes a little over six minutes to read and ten minutes to read aloud.
Why word count matters
For students, assignments almost always have a word range, and going more than 10% over or under usually costs marks. For writers, publishers and contests specify word counts and reject submissions outside them. For SEO and marketing, titles and descriptions get cut off past certain lengths, and social posts simply won’t publish. For speakers, knowing your words-per-minute lets you fit a talk into its slot: a 20-minute talk is about 2,600–3,000 words.
Tips for hitting a target count
- Over the limit? Cut adverbs, redundant pairs (“each and every”), and throat-clearing openers (“It is important to note that…”). Turn passive sentences active — they’re usually shorter.
- Under the limit? Add a concrete example, a counter-argument, or a short definition of a key term. Don’t pad with filler; markers notice.
- Check the counting rule. Some teachers exclude titles, references and quotations. Some contests count hyphenated words as two. When it matters, ask.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter define a word?
Any run of characters separated by whitespace that contains at least one letter or number. Hyphenated words like "well-known" count as one; a lone dash or emoji doesn't count.
Do spaces count as characters?
Both figures are shown. "Characters" includes spaces and line breaks; "Characters (no spaces)" excludes all whitespace. Most platforms with character limits (Twitter/X, SMS) count spaces.
How is reading time calculated?
At 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed for non-fiction found in a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a typical presentation pace.
Is my text stored anywhere?
No. Everything is counted in your browser. The text is never sent to a server and disappears when you close the page.
Last updated August 26, 2026.