Free Online Word Counter
Calculate words and characters instantly for content briefs.
On this tool
The length question Free Online Word Counter answers
Words are what remains after the box is trimmed and split on whitespace. An empty box is zero, not one. Two spaces between words are one gap, so they do not create an extra word. A hyphenated term such as long-tail stays a single word because there is no space inside it. If your brief counts hyphenated compounds as two words, this tile will disagree with that house style and you should count those compounds by hand.
Characters include every symbol in the box: letters, spaces, digits, punctuation, and line breaks. Chars (No Spaces) removes whitespace and then counts what is left. A title limit of about 60 characters almost always means the with-spaces figure, which is the Characters tile, not the no-spaces tile. Pasting from a word processor can bring a trailing line break that adds a character you do not see. If the tile is one over the limit, check the end of the box before you delete a real word.
Sentences are splits on a period, question mark, or exclamation point, after empty pieces are dropped. A decimal, an abbreviation such as U.S., or an ellipsis can raise the sentence count above the number of sentences a reader would name. Paragraphs are splits on line breaks. One pasted block with two sentences and no blank line is one paragraph. A blank line between them makes two paragraphs. The paragraph tile is a block count, not a judgment that each block is a complete idea.
Reading time divides the word count by 200 and rounds up, then forces a minimum of 1. Speaking time does the same with 130. A 16-word blurb and a 200-word blurb can both show about 1 minute of reading, because anything up to 200 words rounds to that floor or to one minute. A 450-word lesson shows 3 minutes of reading and 4 minutes of speaking. Treat the pair as planning numbers for a brief, not as a stopwatch study of your readers.
Keep Free Online Word Counter as this step only. When the job moves on, the Character Counter is the next page: Character Counter totals characters with spaces and without spaces as you type or paste. The Reading Time Calculator covers a different piece of the same work: Reading Time Calculator estimates silent reading time and speaking time from text you paste.
Where Free Online Word Counter fits
Free Online Word Counter is the length check for a brief, a blog draft, or a lesson script. You type or paste into the box labeled Your Text. There is no submit button. Words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs update on each keystroke, and a second row shows characters without spaces, reading time, and speaking time. Copy and Clear sit in the toolbar. The document stays in this browser and is not uploaded.
Use it when an editor has named a length, such as a 150-word intro or an 800-word lesson. Do not use it to count a public URL, because this page never fetches one. Do not use it to judge whether a phrase is repeated too often. A draft can hit the word target and still lean on one term. After the length is right, count that phrase in a density or frequency tool.
Before you trust Free Online Word Counter
- The draft is in Your Text, not only a URL.
- The Characters tile, not Chars (No Spaces), is the one compared with a title or description limit.
- Sentence and paragraph totals were glanced at after abbreviations and blank lines.
- Reading time is treated as a 200-word pace with a one-minute floor.
- The box was cleared before a second document was pasted.
Easy to misread Free Online Word Counter
Counting a live URL
The box only sees text you put in it. A link to a blog post does not load that post. Paste the article, or convert the HTML to text first, then count.
Using the no-spaces tile for a title
Search titles and meta descriptions are judged with spaces included. Use the Characters tile for those limits. Use Chars (No Spaces) only when the destination says spaces do not count.
Trusting the sentence tile on abbreviations
U.S. and similar forms contain periods, and each period can split a sentence. If the sentence total looks high, read the draft instead of rewriting it to chase the tile.
Treating one minute as a precise read
Short copy always shows at least 1 minute. The figure is a floor, not a measurement that a reader finished in sixty seconds.
Terms used by Free Online Word Counter
- Word
- A token separated by whitespace after the ends of the box are trimmed. Punctuation stuck to a word stays with that word.
- Character
- Any single unit in the box, including spaces and line breaks. The no-spaces total removes whitespace first.
- Sentence
- A stretch ending at a period, question mark, or exclamation point, as split by this counter. Abbreviations can add extra splits.
- Paragraph
- A non-empty block between line breaks. Several sentences in one block are still one paragraph here.
- Reading time
- Words divided by 200, rounded up, with a minimum of 1 minute. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute and the same minimum.
Read this
Count with Free Online Word Counter
- 01
Click in Your Text and type, or paste the draft. The four tiles update immediately: Words, Characters, Sentences, and Paragraphs.
- 02
Read Chars (No Spaces) on the lower row when a limit ignores spaces, such as some CMS excerpts.
- 03
Read Reading Time and Speaking Time beside that row. Reading uses 200 words per minute and speaking uses 130, and both show at least 1 minute.
- 04
Press Copy if you need the same text elsewhere, or Clear to zero every tile before the next draft.
Read this
Watch Free Online Word Counter move
Input
Paste this as one block: A clear title helps a reader decide to open the page. Write the title before you draft the lesson. The Words tile shows 16. Sentences shows 2. Paragraphs shows 1, because there is no extra line break. Characters includes the letters, the spaces, and both periods. Reading Time and Speaking Time both show about 1 minute, since 16 divided by 200 and by 130 both round up into the one-minute floor.
What you should see
Press Enter between the two sentences so a blank line separates them, without adding words. Paragraphs becomes 2. Words stays 16. That is the check to run when a brief says four short paragraphs and the tile still says one: the draft was pasted as a single block. Clear the box before the next document so the previous line break does not linger in the character total.
Detail
Tiles on Free Online Word Counter
- 01
Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time, and speaking time come from the same box.
- 02
The totals move while you edit, so you can trim a sentence and see the new length without running a command.
- 03
The draft is counted locally. Closing the tab drops the text.
Read this
Free Online Word Counter details
Does the word counter upload the draft?
No. The tiles are calculated in the browser while you type or paste. Copy and Clear also stay on this page. Closing the tab removes the text.
Why do reading time and speaking time differ?
Reading divides words by 200. Speaking divides the same words by 130, which is a slower pace for reading aloud. Both round up and neither drops below 1 minute.
Do I have to press a button to count?
No. Words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs change on each change to Your Text. Copy only copies the text. It does not recalculate anything.
Will a blank line change the word count?
A blank line does not add a word. It can add a paragraph, because paragraphs are split on line breaks. Check both tiles if the brief cares about blocks as well as length.