What is a Word Counter?
A word counter measures the length of a text — essential when an essay has a word limit, an ad has a character budget, or an article needs a reading-time estimate.
Counts update live as you type or paste, computed entirely in your browser. Reading time uses a 220-words-per-minute average.
Useful targets to write against: college essays commonly cap at 250 or 650 words, meta descriptions at ~25 words, LinkedIn posts engage best under 200, and long-form SEO articles typically run 1,500-2,500. Sentence count matters too — average sentence length above 25 words is the fastest signal your draft needs splitting.
How to use the Word Counter
- Paste or type your text.
- Read the live counts above the text box.
- Edit until you hit your target.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
Around 600-750 at a natural speaking pace of 120-150 words per minute — slower than reading speed, which trips up first-time speakers.
Do word counts here match Google Docs and Word?
Within a word or two — tools differ slightly on hyphens and numbers. For hard limits, leave a small buffer rather than landing exactly on the cap.
What counts as a word?
Any run of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Hyphenated words count as one.
How is reading time calculated?
Words divided by 220 per minute — the common adult silent-reading average. Technical text reads slower.
Is my text uploaded?
No — counting happens locally in your browser as you type.
Does it count characters with and without spaces?
Both — some limits (like SMS) count spaces, others don’t, so we show the two side by side.