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Free Word Counter

Paste or type text to count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in real time, with an estimate of reading and speaking time.

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Words
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Characters
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Characters (no spaces)
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Sentences
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Paragraphs
0 sec
Reading time
0 sec
Speaking time

Quick answer

A word counter counts the words in your text by splitting it on spaces and line breaks, and also reports characters, sentences, and paragraphs. Reading time is estimated at about 230 words per minute and speaking time at about 130 words per minute.

Formula & method

Words are counted by splitting the text on any run of whitespace and ignoring empty pieces. Characters are counted per Unicode character, with a separate count that excludes spaces. Sentences are estimated by counting terminators (. ! ?), and paragraphs by blank-line breaks. Reading time uses ~230 words per minute; speaking time uses ~130 words per minute.

Examples

Example 1: A short sentence
Input
“The quick brown fox.”
Result
4 words, 20 characters
Why
Four space-separated words; characters include the period and spaces.
Example 2: Two sentences
Input
“Hello there. How are you?”
Result
5 words, 2 sentences
Why
Counted by the two sentence terminators “.” and “?”.
Example 3: A 1,000-word article
Input
1,000 words
Result
≈ 4.3 min reading time
Why
1,000 ÷ 230 words per minute ≈ 4.3 minutes.

When to use this tool

  • Hitting a word limit for an essay, application, or article.
  • Checking a meta description or social post against a character limit.
  • Estimating how long a script or speech will take to read aloud.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting the sentence count to be exact. Abbreviations like “e.g.” and decimals can shift it slightly.
  • Comparing this to a specific app’s count — different tools tokenize words a little differently.
  • Forgetting that “characters with spaces” and “characters without spaces” are reported separately.

Frequently asked questions

How are words counted?

The text is split on spaces, tabs, and line breaks, and each non-empty piece counts as one word. Punctuation attached to a word doesn’t add to the count.

Does it count characters with or without spaces?

Both. You get a total character count including spaces and a separate count excluding spaces, which is handy for strict limits.

How is reading time estimated?

By dividing the word count by an average silent reading speed of about 230 words per minute. Actual speed varies by reader and material.

Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is counted locally in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

Is there a length limit?

There’s no fixed limit, but extremely long documents may slow your browser. For most articles and essays it’s instant.

Why is reading time an estimate?

Reading speed varies by reader, document complexity, and language. A professional text might be read slower than casual content. The 230 WPM baseline is an average; adjust your expectations based on your material.

Can I export or download the statistics?

The tool displays results in your browser, but you can copy and paste the statistics manually or take a screenshot. No automated export is currently available.

  • ✓ Free to use
  • ✓ No sign-up required
  • ✓ Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
  • ✓ Formula and method shown above
Last updated: How we calculateReport a correctionDisclaimer

Provided “as is” for general information only — results may be inaccurate, so verify before you rely on them. No warranty; use at your own risk.

Built and reviewed by HIFreeTools against the formula shown above and any authoritative references cited on this page. See our methodology and editorial standards.

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