Word Counter

This free word counter shows the number of words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in your text the moment you type or paste it. It also estimates how long the text takes to read and to speak aloud, and lists the words you use most often.

It is useful for essays and assignments with a word limit, blog posts and SEO articles, social media posts with a character limit, cover letters and speeches. Your text stays in your browser and is never saved or sent anywhere.

How to use the Word Counter tool

1. Type your text in the box, or paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac).
2. Read the live counts for words, characters, sentences and paragraphs.
3. Check the reading and speaking time, and the most used words table to spot repetition.
4. Use Copy text to take your edited text back, or Clear to start again.

Why use ToolOrca Word Counter

• Live counts as you type
• Characters with and without spaces
• Reading and speaking time
• Keyword density table
• Works with any language
• Private: nothing is uploaded

How words and characters are counted

A word is any run of letters or numbers, so “don’t”, “e-mail” and “2026” each count as one word. Characters include every letter, number, space and punctuation mark; the second count leaves out spaces, tabs and line breaks, which some forms and publishers ask for.

Reading time assumes an average silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute, and speaking time about 150 words per minute, which is a typical pace for a presentation.

Common word count limits

A tweet on X allows 280 characters, a meta description is best kept around 155 characters, and a typical college application essay is limited to 650 words. Blog posts that rank well in search are often 1,000–2,000 words long, while a short story is usually under 7,500 words.