Word Counter

Count words, characters and reading time

Get an immediate count of words, characters, lines and estimated reading time. Useful for meta descriptions with hard length limits, social posts with character caps, essays with word targets, and any writing where the number genuinely matters.

How to use it

  1. Paste or type your text.
  2. All counts update live as you edit.
  3. Watch the character count against whatever limit you are working to.
  4. Adjust the text until it fits.

Frequently asked questions

How is a word defined?

As a run of characters separated by whitespace. Hyphenated compounds count as one word, and numbers count as words. Different tools apply slightly different rules, so expect small discrepancies against a word processor.

How is reading time estimated?

From an average silent reading speed of roughly 200 to 250 words per minute. Treat it as a rough guide: dense technical writing reads considerably slower, and skimming is much faster.

Which character limits should I care about?

Around 155 to 160 characters for a meta description before search engines truncate it, roughly 60 for a page title, and 280 for a post on X. Counting characters including spaces is what these limits refer to.

Is my text stored anywhere?

No. Counting happens as you type, in your browser. Nothing is transmitted or saved.