Word Counter: how to use it
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, and learn how to hit essay, SEO and social media length targets.
Word limits are everywhere: school essays, scholarship statements, meta descriptions, product titles, tweets, cover letters. The Word Counter updates live as you type or paste, so you can see exactly how close you are to a limit without pressing any button.
It reports words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and an estimated reading time. The text stays in your browser and is never stored or sent.
How to use the Word Counter
- Click the text box and type, or paste your text into it.
- Read the live totals shown above or beside the box.
- Edit your text until the number you care about matches the target.
- Press Copy text to copy the final version, or Clear to start again.
Tips for better results
- Words are counted as groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. A hyphenated word such as well-known counts as one.
- Application forms usually count characters including spaces. Use the characters figure, not the one without spaces, unless the form says otherwise.
- Paragraphs are separated by blank lines. A single line break inside a paragraph does not start a new one.
- For a rough speaking time, divide the word count by about 130, since people speak more slowly than they read.
Common length targets
A page title in search results is best under about 60 characters and a meta description under about 155. A post on X allows 280 characters. College essays often run 250 to 650 words, and a one-page cover letter is usually 250 to 400 words. Always follow the exact limit stated by the person or site you are writing for.
Frequently asked questions
Does it count words in other languages?
It counts any text separated by spaces, so it works for English and most languages that use spaces between words. Languages written without spaces, such as Chinese, are better judged by character count.
Is my text saved?
No. It is processed in your browser only, and closing the page discards it.
Why does my word processor show a different number?
Programs treat hyphens, slashes and numbers slightly differently, so small differences are normal.
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