Word count, reading time and character limits
Count words and characters without surprises, estimate reading and speaking time, and measure your text against common limits.
To find out how many words a text has, paste it into a counter: it counts every chunk of characters separated by spaces that contains a letter or a digit. The word counter also shows characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, reading and speaking time and readability, all in your browser without uploading your text.
How words get counted
A word is a group of characters separated by spaces with at least one letter or digit in it. Under that rule, 25 years counts as two words, don't as one, and letters outside the English alphabet, such as ç or ö, don't split a word. Other counters can give different totals in cases such as a lone hyphen between spaces, which doesn't count as a word here.
Characters are reported with and without spaces. Sentences are split on periods, exclamation marks and question marks, and a text with none of them counts as one sentence.
Reading time and speaking time
The tool estimates reading time at 230 words per minute and speaking time at 130 words per minute, rounded up. At those speeds:
| Words | Reading | Speaking aloud |
|---|---|---|
| 300 | 2 min | 3 min |
| 500 | 3 min | 4 min |
| 1000 | 5 min | 8 min |
| 2000 | 9 min | 16 min |
These are estimates. People read faster or slower depending on the subject, and a talk with pauses runs longer. They help size a text, not promise an exact duration.
Character limits worth watching
The counter shows a progress bar against five reference limits:
| Format | Tool's limit |
|---|---|
| Tweet | 280 characters |
| SMS | 160 characters |
| Meta description | 155 characters |
| Title tag | 60 characters |
| Reddit post | 40,000 characters |
These are the tool's reference values. Real limits vary by platform and account type, and SEO ones depend on how a result gets displayed, as explained in meta tags that matter. Use them as an early warning.
Why two counters disagree
There's no single definition of a word. Common differences: a lone dash or a symbol on its own doesn't count in this tool, since it holds no letters or digits; a web address or an email counts as one word; and a counter that splits on any punctuation will report more. If a total must match a specific system, such as an academic submission, count in that system and treat this tool as an estimate.
How to trim a text to a limit
- See how many characters you're over.
- Cut filler first: introductions, adverbs and sentences that repeat what's already been said.
- Swap long phrases for a single word, and check the total again.
- Read the result aloud: if it sounds tangled, readability usually improves as sentences shorten.
A trick for descriptions and short messages is to put the important part first, so that if the end gets cut, the essentials survive.
What readability measures
In English the tool uses the Flesch formula, and in Spanish Szigriszt-Pazos. Both combine sentence length with syllables per word: long sentences and long words pull the score down. A higher score suggests an easier text. It's a guide for spotting tangled sentences, not a verdict on quality.
Keyword density and frequencies
You can type a word and see how many times it appears and what share of the text it represents. There's also a top 10 of the most frequent words, ignoring connectors and stop words. It's handy for spotting repetition. If you use it for SEO, keep in mind that density isn't a target to hit, as is keyword density still a ranking factor? explains.
Everyday uses
- Checking an essay or report against a word limit before submitting it.
- Fitting a product description, bio or abstract into a field with a cap.
- Sizing a talk: divide the word count by 130 to estimate minutes.
- Spotting a word you lean on too often, using the frequency list.
Using the counter, step by step
- Open the word counter and paste or type the text.
- Read the totals: words, characters, sentences and paragraphs.
- Open the advanced statistics for words per sentence, characters per word and readability.
- Compare the character total with the limits if you're writing for a specific platform.
To tidy text before counting, see clean a list: duplicates, sorting and numbering, and to normalize capitals, change text case in Word, Excel and Google Docs.
Frequently asked questions
How many words does my text have?
Paste it into a word counter. The tool counts like Word: each group separated by spaces with at least one letter or digit is a word.
How long does a text take to read?
The tool uses 230 words per minute. A thousand words is about 5 minutes of reading.
How long is a 1000-word speech?
At 130 words per minute, about 8 minutes, not counting pauses.
Do the characters include spaces?
The tool shows both totals: with spaces and without spaces.
What is readability?
An index that combines sentence length and word length. English uses the Flesch formula and Spanish uses Szigriszt-Pazos.
Is my text uploaded to a server?
No. The analysis runs in your browser.
Count your text's words
Words, characters, reading time, readability and keyword density. Runs locally, free, no signup.
Open Word Counter →Related tools
- Word Counter: words, characters, reading time and readability.
- Keyword Density: word frequency in a text.
- Text Cleaner: sort and de-duplicate lists.
- Case Converter: change a text's capitalization.
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