A word count that updates as you actually type
Whether you're hitting a strict word limit for an assignment, checking a social post fits a character cap, or estimating how long a piece will take someone to read, this tool counts everything instantly as you type, directly in your browser.
Using it
Paste or type your text into the box. Words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs and reading time update as you type. Below the counts you will find the characters left for common limits, and the words you repeat most often, which helps when an essay or article leans on the same word too much. "Clear text" empties the box.
Common uses
- Checking an essay or assignment meets a required word count.
- Fitting a social media post within a platform's character limit.
- Estimating how long a blog post or article will take to read.
- Tracking progress while drafting toward a target length.
Advantages and limitations
Advantages
- Updates live as you type, no button to press
- Shows characters left for common limits and the most repeated words
Limitations
- Reading time is an estimate, not a precise measurement
- Doesn't distinguish languages that don't use spaces between words
Where the reading time estimate comes from
Reading time is calculated from an average adult silent-reading speed, typically cited around 200 words per minute, which is the figure this tool uses. It's a genuine, widely used estimate rather than a precise measurement of any individual reader — dense, technical, or unfamiliar text tends to read noticeably slower than casual conversational writing, so treat the figure as a helpful ballpark rather than an exact number.
Pairs well with
Need to compare two drafts? The site's Text Diff Checker shows exactly what changed between versions.
Frequently asked questions
+Is this word counter really free, with no sign up?
Yes. There's no account and no limit on how much text you can count.
+How is reading time actually estimated?
This tool divides the word count by 200 words per minute, a commonly used average for adult silent reading. It also shows speaking time at 130 words per minute. Both are estimates: dense technical text reads slower than casual prose, so treat them as a rough guide.
+How do I convert a word count into reading time?
Divide the word count by an average reading speed, such as 200 words per minute, to get minutes. For example, 1,000 words is about 5 minutes. This tool does the sum for you as you type, and shows seconds for very short texts.
+How are characters counted?
Each visible character counts once, including letters with accents and emoji (some counters count an emoji as two). "Characters" includes spaces and line breaks; "No spaces" leaves out all whitespace.
+Which character limits does it show?
A side panel shows how many characters you have left for an X post (280), one SMS segment (160), and the usual guideline lengths for a meta description (about 160) and a page title (about 60). The two search-result numbers are guidelines, not hard limits, and platforms change their rules, so check the current limit before you publish.
+Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Everything is counted directly in your browser as you type — nothing is uploaded or logged.
+Does it count a hyphenated word as one word or two?
As one — word counting splits on whitespace, so a hyphenated term like "well-known" counts as a single word, matching how most word processors count it too.