Word & Character Counter
Paste anything and get the word, character and line counts at once. Runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Paste or type below. Every count updates as you go, and nothing you paste leaves your machine.
Everything is counted in your browser.
Words
Split on whitespace, the way a person counts.
21
Characters (with spaces)
The figure most character limits mean.
118
Characters (no spaces)
Spaces removed before counting.
98
Lines
Counted by line break, not by how the text wraps.
1
About this tool
How Word Counts Are Actually MeasuredTwo counters can read the same text and disagree. What counts as a word, which character count your limit means, and how to cut without wrecking the writing.
Free download
Word Count Targets Cheat SheetThe limits worth knowing before you write, so you are not cutting at the end. Same counting rules this tool uses.
Free, no email required — print it or save it as a PDF.
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Word & Character Counter infographicThe key numbers as one image — free to save, share, or embed on your own site with credit.
How this works
Words are counted the way a person would count them: the text is split on any run of whitespace, and anything left over counts as one word. So a hyphenated word counts as one, and two spaces between words do not create a phantom third. Characters are counted including spaces and punctuation, which is the figure that matters for anything with a hard limit. Lines are counted by line break, so a wrapped paragraph is one line, not several. Empty input counts as zero lines rather than one. There is no reading-time output, because a text pipeline has no arithmetic and cannot divide the word count. Take the word count and divide by about 200 for silent reading, or 140 for reading aloud.
Common questions
- How are words counted exactly?
- The text is split wherever there is whitespace, and every non-empty piece counts as one word. A hyphenated word counts as one. Extra spaces between words are ignored rather than counted as gaps.
- Which character count do I want?
- Almost always the one with spaces. Social platforms, meta descriptions and form limits nearly all count spaces. The no-spaces figure is mostly used in typesetting and some academic submissions.
- Why does a wrapped paragraph count as one line?
- Because wrapping is a display decision made by whatever is showing the text, not part of the text itself. A line here means a line break you actually typed.
- How long will my text take to read?
- Divide the word count by about 200 for silent reading, or by about 140 if it will be read aloud. Both are rough averages: dense or technical writing is slower, and a familiar subject is faster. This tool gives you the word count rather than guessing the minutes for you.
- Is my text uploaded anywhere?
- No. The counting happens in your browser and nothing is transmitted or stored. Closing the tab discards it.
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