Count Words, Characters & More — Live
Online word counter that counts words as you type, along with characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and the words you repeat most. Everything stays within your browser.
- Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs
- Keyword density — spot overused words
- Reading & speaking time estimates
- Average sentence length
- Nothing leaves your browser
- 100% free, generous fair-use limits
Why This Word Counter Is Different
Online word counter that counts words as you type, along with characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and the words you repeat most. Everything stays within your browser.
How to Use the Free Word Counter
Your text goes into the box, and that is all the setup there is.
Every number is recalculated on each keypress, including reading time at 200 wpm.
Trim or add to reach the target word count; your word count will always be visible.
100% Free — Here Is Why That Is Sustainable
No server needed: the tool runs as JavaScript in your browser, therefore not costing us anything per use. This is the reason why it's free, and why your grades, notes, or signatures remain on your device.
15 to 20 words per sentence is ideal. Exceeding an average of 28 words per sentence? The Grammar Checker will identify such sentences and tell you how to shorten them.
The Word Counter in Real Student Life
Word count checker that updates as you type
The word count checker works by pasting the text into the program, or typing it directly into the editor, and checking the statistics as you type.
So, if you were wondering how to check word count without having to use MS Word, here is your solution. You can also import PDF, DOCX and TXT files; these are read on your device.
How many words are in a paragraph?
An average academic paragraph contains between 100 and 200 words, so how many words is a paragraph really depends on your task.
Leave an empty line before each new paragraph and the counter shows how many paragraphs there are next to the total word count. Asking how many words is this, or how many words in a paragraph you just wrote? Paste just that paragraph here.
How many words is 2000 characters?
Around 300 to 400 words, as a typical English word is made up of about five letters and a space.
Character limits differ, so the tool shows the character count both with and without spaces next to the word count, a quick word calculator for forms with a character cap.
Essay word counter for strict limits
When writing an essay, you want to see how many words you have in front of you when you edit, and that's where an essay word counter earns its money.
Cut or add until you match the word count of the assignment, with sentences and reading time right next to them. Are you writing a speech instead? Use it as a word count calculator: speaking time is calculated at 130 words a minute.
A free word count tool with no upload
This word counter tool works in your web browser, so you can count words in texts that have not yet been submitted without sending them anywhere.
No sign-up needed, and no limit on the number of word count checks.
Why not just use your word processor?
Word processors also have a word count feature, which however places the word count figure in a status bar and treats hyphenated words, numbers, and symbols in their own way. The rule here is easy: any element that comes between two spaces is regarded as a word.
You can also see characters, sentences, reading time and your most frequently used words in a single window, none of which any status bar shows.
Everyday users of this tool
Students with 500-word essays, applicants filling forms with a character limit and bloggers checking word count and people timing a speech: all need the same quick figures and all need them without having to open a large application.
Three fixes that solve most problems
- My count differs from Word. Word processors deal with hyphens, numbers and symbols their own way. In this case, whatever is in between two spaces is one word, so if our number and your editor's number differ by a few words, that small gap in between the two would be completely normal.
- Sentences look off. A sentence ends with a period, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis. So an abbreviation like e.g. can add a sentence, and text with no punctuation at the end counts as one.
- Paragraphs show as one. On the keyboard, use Enter two times to make a new paragraph. If you press Enter only once, then it won't register as a new paragraph, and the counter will still count all of that text as part of the same paragraph.
The vocabulary around word counters
- Characters with and without spaces — Forms usually mean with spaces and a few journals mean without. Both counts are right there.
- Reading time — Estimated at about 200–250 words per minute, the standard used by publishers.
- Keyword density — Ratio between the number of occurrences of a word and the total number of words, presented as a percentage; useful in SEO writing. Short common words are not included.
- Sentence and paragraph counts — A structural check: very long average sentences usually signal a readability problem.
Same tool, many names
No matter how you expressed yourself, this is your page: one fast word counter that respects both your time and your privacy, not 12 poor clones lying around the web. Feel free to bookmark it by any name you choose:
Of course: no registration, no watermark and no daily paywall. It will still be here next semester.
One page for each job is deliberate. Near-identical pages for every wording are standard SEO, and they're the reason looking for a basic tool is a slog. We'd rather build one good page that's quick, complete and upfront about what it can't do.
This is why the navigation above links to complete tool names and not cute nicknames: when your next job comes around, you will know where to go by reading, not guessing. The whole set is designed for someone in a rush who has never seen it before, and on a deadline, that is all of us.
Word Counter FAQ
Paste it above and the word count will appear immediately and update as you type. Characters, sentences and paragraphs are tracked too.
It is up to the instructor; most of the time, they count in-text citations but exclude the bibliography. If in doubt, just ask, and paste only the portion of the assignment that counts.
The reading time is determined by using 200 words per minute for reading and 130 words per minute for speaking, which are the standard measures for such presentations.
Your text never reaches our server, since all the counting runs in your browser. To save you from losing work, this tab keeps a draft of up to 100,000 characters in session storage, and it comes back after a refresh or when you return in the same tab. Clear the text and the draft is cleared too.
15 to 20 words per sentence is ideal. Exceeding an average of 28 words per sentence? The Grammar Checker will identify such sentences and tell you how to shorten them.
Tool and page last updated: October 2026.