Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in your text. Get reading time and speaking time estimates instantly.
Tool
Word Counter
Category
What you get
- Reads your draft against the rubric
- Surfaces issues, not noise
- Carries findings into the editor
0
Words
0
Characters
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
0 sec
Reading time
0 sec
Speaking time
How the word counter works
Paste or type your text into the editor above to get instant word, character, sentence, and paragraph counts. The tool processes everything locally in your browser with no data sent to any server. Results update in real time as you type or edit.
What the tool measures
- Words: separated by spaces and line breaks. Hyphenated words count as one word.
- Characters: every letter, digit, space, and punctuation mark. A separate count excludes spaces.
- Sentences: text segments ending with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
- Paragraphs: text blocks separated by blank lines.
- Reading time: based on 200 words per minute, a conservative estimate for adult reading comprehension.
- Speaking time: based on 130 words per minute, typical for presentations and public speaking.
Common word count requirements
- Twitter post: 280 characters
- College application essay: 250 to 650 words
- Blog post: 1,000 to 2,000 words
- Research paper: 3,000 to 8,000 words
- Thesis chapter: 8,000 to 12,000 words
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Reading time is estimated at an average reading speed of 200 words per minute for adults. Speaking time uses a rate of approximately 130 words per minute, which is typical for presentations and speeches.
Sentences are counted by splitting your text on sentence-ending punctuation marks: periods, exclamation points, and question marks. Abbreviations like "Dr." or "U.S." may be counted as sentence breaks, which is a known limitation of simple text analysis.
Paragraphs are detected by blank lines between blocks of text. Two consecutive newlines (or a newline with only whitespace between) mark a paragraph boundary. Single line breaks within a block do not create new paragraphs.
The tool shows both metrics. "Characters" includes all characters including spaces and punctuation. "Characters (no spaces)" counts only non-whitespace characters. Use whichever metric your assignment or platform requires.
Yes. Paste your essay text to get an accurate word count, sentence count, and paragraph count. The tool also estimates reading and speaking time, which is helpful when preparing for presentations or timed exams.
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