Word Counter
Paste or type your text below to count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in real time.
About the Word Counter
This free word counter processes your text entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to a server. It is useful for writers checking manuscript length, students staying within essay word limits, content marketers optimising blog post length, and social media managers checking copy before posting.
The tool counts every distinct group of non-whitespace characters as a word. Sentences are detected by full stops, exclamation marks, and question marks. Paragraphs are blocks of text separated by blank lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the word counter work?
The word counter splits your text on whitespace to count words, counts every character for the character total, and uses punctuation patterns to detect sentence and paragraph boundaries. Results update instantly as you type.
Does it count hyphenated words as one or two words?
Hyphenated words such as "well-known" are counted as one word because they are separated by a single hyphen with no spaces, not by whitespace.
What counts as a paragraph?
A paragraph is defined as a block of text separated by one or more blank lines. Single line breaks within a block do not create a new paragraph.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device and is not stored or transmitted.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute, which is a commonly used average for general reading. It is rounded up to the nearest minute.