Free Tools

Word & Character Counter

Type or paste your text to count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and lines as you go, with estimated reading and speaking times.

Words
0
Characters (with spaces)
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
0
Lines
0
Reading time (estimate)
0 sec
Speaking time (estimate)
0 sec

Estimates use 200 words per minute for reading and 130 words per minute for speaking. Lines counts lines that contain text. Your text stays in your browser.

What this tool counts

  • Words: groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Stand-alone symbols such as a lone dash are not counted as words.
  • Characters: every character including spaces, and separately every character excluding spaces, tabs and line breaks.
  • Sentences: text ending in a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis. Abbreviations such as "e.g." can occasionally be counted as sentence endings.
  • Paragraphs: blocks of text separated by at least one empty line.
  • Lines: lines that contain text. Empty lines are not counted.

How to use the word counter

  1. Type or paste your text into the box.
  2. Read the counts, which update as you type.
  3. Use Copy text to copy your text, or Clear text to start again.

Nothing is saved. If you close or refresh the page, the text is gone, so keep a copy of anything important.

How reading time is estimated

Reading time is the word count divided by 200 words per minute, a common rule of thumb for adults reading on screen. Real reading speed varies with the reader, the subject and how closely the text is being read, so treat the result as a rough guide. To try other speeds, use the reading time and speaking time calculator.

How speaking time is estimated

Speaking time is the word count divided by 130 words per minute, a moderate pace for presentations, narration and recorded audio. Pauses, emphasis and audience interaction all add time, so rehearse anything with a strict time limit.

Common uses

  • Checking essays, applications and assignments against a word limit.
  • Keeping social posts, meta descriptions and summaries within a character limit.
  • Planning blog posts and newsletters to a target length.
  • Timing scripts for videos, podcasts and talks.

Frequently asked questions

Is my text saved or sent anywhere?

No. The counting happens in your browser using a script on this page. Your text is not sent to WriterFlowLab and is not stored.

Why might my count differ from another tool?

Tools treat hyphenated words, numbers, symbols and abbreviations differently. This tool counts any space-separated group containing a letter or number as one word.

Do line breaks count as characters?

Yes, they are included in characters with spaces. They are excluded from characters without spaces.

How accurate are the time estimates?

They are averages based on fixed speeds of 200 words per minute for reading and 130 for speaking. Individual speeds vary.

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