Text tools

Word & Character Counter

Paste in any text and see live counts update as you type or edit: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and an estimated reading time based on an average adult reading speed.

Words: whitespace-delimited tokens. Characters: UTF-16 units. Reading estimate: silent reading at 200 words/minute; empty text is zero minutes.

Count your text

Words

0

Characters

0

Characters (no spaces)

0

Sentences

0

Paragraphs

0

Reading time

0 min

Try a small count you can check

Words use whitespace boundaries. Character totals use JavaScript UTF-16 code units, so one emoji can count as two. Sentence totals split on periods, question marks, and exclamation marks; paragraph totals use blank lines. Reading time is a rough silent-reading estimate at 200 words per minute, rounded up.

Input or checkExpected result or decision
Hello world. followed by a blank line and Next line!4 words, 24 characters, 2 sentences, 2 paragraphs, 1 minute.
An empty box or only whitespace0 words and 0 reading minutes; entered whitespace still contributes to characters.
One 🙂1 whitespace-delimited token and 2 UTF-16 character units.
你好世界 (no spaces)1 whitespace-delimited token, 4 UTF-16 units, 1 estimated minute. This does not count linguistic words in Chinese.

How it works

  • Type or paste text into the box.
  • Counts update instantly with every keystroke.
  • Reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute, a common average for adult silent reading.

Common uses

  • Checking whether a social media post or bio fits a character limit.
  • Getting a rough silent-reading estimate for a draft; spoken delivery and technical reading can take longer.
  • Tracking word count progress while drafting an essay or article.
Your privacy matters here: check the FAQ below for exactly what happens to anything you enter into this tool.

Understand the count

Words are counted by whitespace. Hyphenated words and text without spaces may differ from counts in a word processor. Reading time is an estimate, not a measure of comprehension.

A practical walkthrough

  1. Paste a draft of an article or essay, then watch its word and character totals as you shorten the text.
  2. Compare the final count with the submission platform, especially when punctuation or languages without spaces are involved.
  3. Read the totals above as you edit. Select and copy your source text manually if needed; there is no report download.

Tips for a reliable result

Reading time is an estimate. A technical article usually takes longer to understand than a simple passage of the same length.

What to use next

These tools open separately; inputs are not transferred.

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How this tool handles your data

Text is counted in your browser and is not sent to an Anvil processing server.

Compare privacy behavior across all tools.

Known limitations

Counts use documented whitespace and JavaScript string rules rather than language-aware words or user-perceived grapheme clusters. Destination platforms may count differently.

Related guide and Lab test

Tool test card

Tested
October 6, 2026
Input types
Plain text and Unicode
Processing
Runs in this browser
Maximum tested size
12 fixed edge cases; no general maximum claimed
Observed limitation
Whitespace words and UTF-16 units are not linguistic words or grapheme clusters.
Privacy note
Input stays in the browser.

Read the related reproducible Lab report

Questions and troubleshooting

Is my text saved or sent anywhere?

No. All counting happens locally in your browser as you type; nothing is transmitted or stored.

How is reading time calculated?

Word count divided by 200 words per minute, rounded up to the nearest minute.

Does it count numbers and punctuation as words?

Numbers are counted as words if they're separated by spaces. Punctuation attached to a word doesn't count separately.

When a count differs from another app

Compare the exact final text, including whitespace and line breaks. This counter uses whitespace for word boundaries and JavaScript string length for characters, so emoji and some languages can differ from another editor. The receiving form's counting rule determines its submission limit.

Why does another editor show a different count?

Word boundaries vary between applications, particularly for punctuation, hyphenated words, and languages without spaces. Use the destination platform's count when a submission has a strict limit.

Are character limits the same everywhere?

No. Platforms can count line breaks, spaces, emoji, and Unicode characters differently. Check the final text in the place where it will be submitted.

Read the practical guide

How Long Should a Voiceover Script Be? Calculate Video and Presentation Timing

Estimate voiceover script length for videos and presentations. Calculate speaking time from word count, narration pace, pauses, and visual timing.

See the recorded experiment

How Our Word Counter Counts Emoji, Accents, and Chinese Text

Twelve measured examples explain whitespace words, UTF-16 characters, combining accents, emoji, and rough reading-time estimates.