Word Counter & Character Counter
Paste or type your text to count words, characters, sentences and reading time instantly. Everything runs in your browser.
Your text stays in this browser so it survives a refresh. It is never sent to a server.
Common limits
How it works
The counter re-reads your text on every keystroke. Characters are counted the way you see them, so an emoji or an accented letter counts as one. Words are runs of letters and numbers, sentences end with a period, question mark, exclamation mark or line break, and paragraphs are blocks separated by an empty line. Reading and speaking time are simply the word count divided by an average pace.
Typical length limits
| Where | Limit | Counted as |
|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 | Characters; links count as 23, emoji and CJK characters as 2 |
| Google title tag | about 60 | Characters shown before the title gets cut off |
| Meta description | about 160 | Characters shown in search results on desktop |
| SMS text message | 160 | Characters per message (70 if it contains emoji or non-Latin letters) |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | Characters |
Comparing two drafts? Use Text Compare to see exactly what changed. More writing helpers are on the everyday & text tools page.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
A word is any run of letters or numbers separated by spaces or punctuation. Contractions and hyphenated words such as "don't" and "well-known" count as one word, and numbers like 2026 count as a word too. Word processors use slightly different rules, so totals can differ by a word or two on long texts.
Do spaces and line breaks count as characters?
"Characters" includes everything: letters, punctuation, spaces and line breaks (each counted as 1). "Without spaces" leaves out spaces, tabs and line breaks. Many forms and applications count characters with spaces, so check the instructions if you are close to a limit.
How are reading and speaking time estimated?
Reading time assumes an average silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute for adults reading English non-fiction. Speaking time assumes about 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for a speech or presentation. Your own pace may be faster or slower.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
Your text never leaves your device. It is counted in your browser and kept only in this browser so it survives a page refresh. Press Clear to remove it, which is a good idea on a shared computer.