Word Counter
Type or paste your text below to count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time — instantly and privately. Nothing is uploaded; everything runs in your browser.
Need keyword density, not just a count?
This tool counts words. To see your keyword density, top phrases and over-optimization warnings, run your text through the full analyzer.
Open Word Frequency CounterHow the word counter works
A word is any run of non-space characters, so the counter splits your text on spaces and line breaks and counts the pieces. Characters are counted both with and without spaces, which matters when you're writing for a strict character limit such as a meta description (around 155 characters) or a tweet. Sentences are detected by full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, and paragraphs by blank lines between blocks of text.
Reading and speaking times are estimates: most adults read around 200 words per minute silently and speak around 130 words per minute aloud, so the counter divides your word count by those rates.
Why word count matters for SEO and writing
Search engines don't reward length for its own sake, but thin pages rarely cover a topic well enough to rank. Knowing your word count helps you hit a sensible target for the query you're targeting, stay within character limits for titles and descriptions, and keep essays, posts and assignments to a required length without guessing.
Frequently asked questions
Is this word counter free?
Yes. It's completely free with no signup, no word limit and no ads interrupting the count. You can use it as often as you like.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. All counting happens in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device and is never sent to a server.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is your total word count divided by 200 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adults. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute.
Does it count words without spaces or with extra spaces?
The counter ignores extra spaces and blank lines, so accidental double spaces or trailing line breaks won't inflate your word count.