How to use Word Counter

Paste or type your text into the Text box.
Set Reading speed or choose a Character length guide for a short draft.
The counts update as you type.
Read the counts, reading time and any selected length guide. Check the destination service's own counter before publishing.

Example: Word Counter

Count a two-sentence paragraph and see which word repeats.

You add

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

You get

23 words, 118 characters, 96 characters without spaces, 2 sentences, 1 paragraph, 1 line and a reading time of 7 sec at the average speed of 200 words per minute. The most frequent word is the, used 3 times.

Options

Reading speed: Sets the words per minute used for the reading time estimate only. Slow is 150, average is 200 and fast is 250.
Show the words used most often: Adds a list of up to ten words ranked by how many times they appear. One-letter words are left out, so I and a do not fill the list.
Character length guide: Choose 280 for a standard X post, 160 for a one-segment GSM-7 SMS, or the site's 60 and 155 character writing targets for meta titles and descriptions. The guide compares simple character length and is not a platform validator.

Supported inputs and limits

Word, sentence and paragraph counts are estimates. Sentence counting treats every period, question mark and exclamation mark as a break, so abbreviations such as Dr. add a sentence. Reading time assumes a steady pace. Text is capped at 2,000,000 characters. Characters are JavaScript string units, so most emoji count as two and some accented letters count as two. X and SMS can count text differently. A non-GSM character can reduce a single SMS from 160 to 70 characters, and longer messages can split into multiple segments. The 60 and 155 character meta guides are this site's writing targets, not Google limits. Check the platform's own counter for a final decision.

Where your input is processed

This tool processes your input in this browser. Your text and files are not uploaded to UseFreeTools. Check this tool's limits for anything it may save on your device.

What this tool counts as a word

A word here is a run of letters or numbers, with an apostrophe or hyphen allowed inside it. That is why don't counts as one word and so does re-enter, while twenty-two also counts once. Counting uses Unicode letter and number categories, so accented and non-Latin letters count normally. The trade-off is that scripts without spaces are undercounted, which is why the character counts matter more for those.

Questions about Word Counter

Does the word count include punctuation?

No. Only letters and numbers count as words, and a hyphen or apostrophe inside a word keeps it joined, so well-known is one word rather than two. Punctuation on its own is ignored.

Why is my sentence count higher than I expected?

Every period, question mark, ellipsis and exclamation mark starts a new sentence. Abbreviations and decimal points can therefore add sentences that are not really there.

How is the reading time worked out?

The tool divides the word count by the reading speed you picked and rounds the result. It is an estimate for planning, not a measured reading test.

Which count should I compare with a platform character limit?

Use Characters as a guide. It counts JavaScript string units, so plain letters and digits count as one each and most emoji count as two. Platforms use different counting rules, so check their own counter before you submit text near a limit.

Can I count words in a language that does not use spaces?

The count will be far too low, because a whole run of Chinese or Japanese characters is read as one word. Use Characters for those languages instead.

Project manager: Tony Hines · Content updated 29 September 2026 · Report a problem

Word Counter

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