Free word counter
Type or paste your text to count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you go, with reading and speaking time. No sign-up.
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
Counted in your browser. Your text is not uploaded or stored on our servers.
Details
- Characters without spaces
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 sec
- Speaking time
- 0 sec
- Average sentence length
- 0 words
- Longest sentence
- 0 words
- Lines
- 0
Estimates: reading time uses 238 words per minute and speaking time 150. Your own pace may be faster or slower.
Most used words
Add some text to see which words you use most.
- Counts as you type
- No sign-up, no limit
- Text stays in your browser
Six numbers from one paste
The four main counts sit above the text box. Reading time, speaking time and sentence lengths are in the details panel below it.
Words
Every run of letters or numbers between spaces is one word. Microsoft Word counts the same way, and Google Docs is usually within a word or two.
Characters
With spaces and without. An emoji or an accented letter counts as one character.
Sentences
A sentence ends at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, or at a line break. Works as a sentence counter for essays and speeches.
Paragraphs
Each block of text separated by a line break is one paragraph. Empty lines are not counted.
Reading time
An estimate of how long the text takes to read silently at 238 words per minute, the average for adults reading English non-fiction in a 2019 review of 190 studies.
Speaking time
An estimate of how long it takes to say out loud at 150 words per minute, an average conversational pace. A careful speech or presentation is often slower.
How the word counter counts words
A word is anything between two spaces. These are the cases people ask about most.
Hyphenated words count as one
A hyphen joins words into one, so a compound counts once. A dash with a space on each side is counted as a word of its own, as it is in Microsoft Word.
Text:
well-known author
Count: 2 wordsContractions count as one
An apostrophe does not split a word, so don’t, it’s and they’re are one word each.
Text:
It’s late, isn’t it?
Count: 4 wordsNumbers and dates count
Anything between two spaces is a word, including numbers, dates and prices.
Text:
Paid $40 on 12/05/2026
Count: 4 wordsExtra spaces are ignored
Two or more spaces, tabs or blank lines in a row never add to the word count. They do add to the character count.
Text:
one two
Count: 2 words, 10 characters
How long common word counts take
Estimates, reading at 238 words per minute, speaking at 150, and about 275 words on a double-spaced page in a 12-point font. Your font, margins and pace will change them.
| Words | Reading time | Speaking time | Pages, double-spaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 1 min 3 sec | 1 min 40 sec | About 1 |
| 500 | 2 min 6 sec | 3 min 20 sec | About 2 |
| 750 | 3 min 9 sec | 5 min | About 3 |
| 1,000 | 4 min 12 sec | 6 min 40 sec | About 4 |
| 1,500 | 6 min 18 sec | 10 min | About 5 |
| 2,500 | 10 min 30 sec | 16 min 40 sec | About 9 |
| 5,000 | 21 min 1 sec | 33 min 20 sec | About 18 |
Check word count in Google Docs and Word
Both editors have a built-in count. Use this page for text that lives somewhere else.
In Google Docs
Open Tools, then Word count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on a Mac). Tick “Display word count while typing” to keep it on screen.
In Microsoft Word
Look at the status bar at the bottom of the window. Click the word count there, or open Review, then Word Count, for characters and paragraphs.
Anywhere else
Copy the text from an email, a PDF or a web page and paste it into the box at the top of this page.
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Word counter questions
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