How the word counter works
The word counter reads your text in the browser and counts it the moment you type or paste. It uses the word and sentence rules that are built into modern browsers, so it handles accented letters, emoji and languages that do not put spaces between words.
Reading time and speaking time are estimates based on your word count. The keyword list skips common English filler words, so you can spot which terms you repeat most, for example when you check a blog post for SEO or trim an essay.
How to use the word counter
- 1Type in the box or paste text from any document, email or website.
- 2Read the counts for words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and the time estimates.
- 3Check the top keywords to find words you overuse, then copy your text when you are done.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter decide what a word is?
It uses the word rules built into your browser, which also handle languages without spaces such as Chinese and Japanese. Contractions like "don't" count as one word, and so do hyphenated words like "well-known". Numbers count as words too.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time divides your word count by 238 words per minute, a common estimate for silent reading of nonfiction in English. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a comfortable pace for a talk or presentation. Real speed varies by reader and topic.
Why do characters with and without spaces differ?
Characters counts every visible character plus spaces, tabs and line breaks. Characters without spaces leaves all whitespace out. Some forms and platforms limit one, some the other, so the tool shows both.
What counts as a paragraph?
Every line that contains text counts as a paragraph. Empty lines are ignored, so a blank line between paragraphs does not change the count.
Is my text stored or uploaded?
No. Counting runs in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. If you turn on "Keep text on this device", the text is saved in your browser storage on this device only, and turning it off deletes it.