Word Counter
Count the words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in any text as you type or paste. See reading time, speaking time, a readability grade, your most used words and how far you are from a word limit. Nothing is uploaded; the count happens in your browser.
Enter a limit to see how many words you have left
Show steps
How to use the Word Counter
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- The counts update as you type. Press Count words to refresh after a large paste.
- Read off words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time. Use the most-used words list to spot repeated terms.
Formula and method
Words are groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Reading time = words / 238 minutes, the average adult silent reading speed for non-fiction found in a 2019 meta-analysis of 190 studies by Marc Brysbaert. Speaking time = words / 150, a typical speech pace of 130 to 160 words per minute.
Typical word counts
| Writing | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Tweet (X post) | up to 280 characters, about 40 words |
| Meta description | about 155 to 160 characters, 25 to 30 words |
| College application essay | 250 to 650 words |
| Blog post | 800 to 2,000 words |
| Short story | 1,000 to 7,500 words |
| Novel | 70,000 to 100,000 words |
| One double-spaced page | about 250 to 300 words |
How the count works
The counter treats any run of letters or digits separated by whitespace as a word, so “well-known” is one word and “e.g.” is one word. Numbers count as words. Sentences are split at periods, exclamation marks and question marks. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines. Different programs count hyphenated words and numbers differently, so expect differences of a few words from Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
Staying within a word limit
For essays and assignments, aim to land within 10% of the limit unless the instructor says otherwise. To shorten text, remove filler words such as “very”, “really” and “in order to”. To check character-based limits such as SMS or social posts, use the character counter.
Words per page and reading time
| Words | Single-spaced pages | Double-spaced pages | Reading time (238 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 min |
| 500 | 1 | 2 | 2 min |
| 1,000 | 2 | 4 | 4 min |
| 1,500 | 3 | 6 | 6 min |
| 2,000 | 4 | 8 | 8 min |
| 5,000 | 10 | 20 | 21 min |
| 10,000 | 20 | 40 | 42 min |
Page counts assume a 12-point serif font with 1-inch margins. Fonts, margins and images change them.
Common word limits
| Writing | Typical limit |
|---|---|
| Common App college essay | 650 words maximum |
| Scholarship essay | 250 to 1,000 words |
| Research abstract | 150 to 250 words |
| Cover letter | 250 to 400 words |
| Resume summary | 50 to 100 words |
| Blog post | 800 to 2,000 words |
| Short story | 1,000 to 7,500 words |
What the readability score means
| Flesch reading ease | Level | Typical reader |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | Very easy | About 5th grade |
| 80 to 90 | Easy | 6th grade |
| 70 to 80 | Fairly easy | 7th grade |
| 60 to 70 | Plain English | 8th to 9th grade |
| 50 to 60 | Fairly difficult | 10th to 12th grade |
| 30 to 50 | Difficult | College |
| 0 to 30 | Very difficult | College graduate |
Higher scores mean easier text. Short sentences and short words raise the score. Most web content reads best between 60 and 70. The score uses an estimated syllable count, so treat it as a guide.
How to cut words without losing meaning
- Delete filler such as “very”, “really”, “just” and “in order to”.
- Replace phrases with one word: “due to the fact that” becomes “because”.
- Prefer active verbs: “The committee approved the plan” instead of “The plan was approved by the committee”.
- Remove repeated ideas. The most-used words list shows where you repeat yourself.
- Split sentences over 25 words; check the longest sentence figure above.
Frequently asked questions
How many words per page?
About 500 words single-spaced or 250 to 300 words double-spaced in a standard 12-point font.
How many pages is 1,000 words?
About 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes at 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed for non-fiction.
Does it count spaces?
Words are separated by spaces. Characters are reported both with and without spaces.
Does it count numbers and hyphenated words?
Numbers count as words. A hyphenated word such as “well-known” counts as one word.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. The counting runs in your browser and the text is never uploaded.
How is reading time calculated?
Words divided by 238, the average adult silent reading speed for non-fiction. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute.
Why does my word count differ from Word or Google Docs?
Programs treat hyphens, numbers, slashes and symbols differently, so counts can differ by a few words.
Sources
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