About the Word Counter
Essays, cover letters, meta descriptions, social posts and speeches all come with length limits. This word counter gives you the numbers you need in one go: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines.
Words are counted as groups of letters or digits, so hyphens and punctuation do not create false words, and contractions like “don’t” count as one word. Reading time assumes an average adult silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute. Speaking time assumes a presentation pace of about 150 words per minute.
How to use it
- Type or paste your text into the input box.
- Click Count Words.
- Read the statistics in the result box, and copy them if you need to.
Example
Writing well takes practice. Start with short, clear sentences. Then revise. Cut every word that doesn't earn its place.
Words 19 Characters 121 Characters (no spaces) 102 Sentences 4 Paragraphs 2 Lines 3 Reading time 5 sec Speaking time 8 sec
When to use it
- Checking essays and assignments against a word limit.
- Keeping blog posts, product descriptions and cover letters within a target length.
- Timing a speech or video script.
- Comparing the length of different drafts.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
A word is any run of letters or numbers. Apostrophes inside words are allowed, so “it’s” is one word. Hyphenated words such as “well-known” count as two, which matches how most word processors count them.
Why might my word processor show a slightly different number?
Different programs treat hyphens, numbers, URLs and symbols in slightly different ways. The difference is usually just a few words.
How is reading time calculated?
The word count is divided by 238 words per minute, a widely cited average for adult silent reading of non-fiction. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute.
Is the text I enter kept private?
Yes. The Word Counter runs entirely in your web browser, so your text is never uploaded to or stored on our servers. Like most free websites, TextForge shows ads from Google, which may use cookies. See our Privacy Policy for details.