Word and character counter
Count words, characters, sentences and reading time in real time.
- Instant
- Free
- Private (processed locally)
- No sign-up
A word counter — for whom?
Whether you are a student facing a word limit, an SEO-minded web writer, a translator billing per character, or a community manager who must fit within 280 characters, knowing the exact size of your text is essential. This tool shows every useful metric in real time.
How does it work?
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Paste or type your text
Copy your content into the input area, or type it directly.
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Read the live statistics
Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time update with every keystroke.
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Respect your limits
Check at a glance that you stay under a limit (tweet, SMS, meta description…).
A few useful figures
These thresholds are practical benchmarks. For SEO, a title over ~60 characters risks being truncated in Google results, while a meta description that is too long (beyond ~155 characters) will also be cut off.
Making good use of the count
- Blog posts: aim for useful depth rather than an arbitrary word count; reading time helps you gauge it.
- Essays and dissertations: watch the word or character count required by your brief.
- Social media: keep a margin under the limit for mentions and links.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
A word is a sequence of characters separated by one or more spaces (or line breaks). The text is first cleaned of extra spaces, then split: this is the same logic used by most word processors.
What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?
The “with spaces” total counts every character, including spaces and line breaks. The “without spaces” total excludes them. This distinction is useful for academic work or translations, which are often billed per character.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated based on an average speed of 200 words per minute, typical of an adult reader. It is a handy benchmark to calibrate a blog post or a script.
Does the counter work for social media?
Yes. The character count helps you respect the limits of X/Twitter (280), SMS (160), SEO titles (~60) or meta descriptions (~155). Reminders are shown below the input area.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser. Your text is neither stored nor sent to a server: it stays 100% private.