How it works
How to use the word counter
Type or paste your text into the box. Words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and speaking time update instantly as you type. The most-used words list helps you spot repetition before you publish.
What each number means
- Words: runs of letters or numbers. Hyphenated words and contractions like “don't” count as one word.
- Characters: every visible character including spaces and punctuation. Emoji count as one character each.
- Reading time: based on about 238 words per minute, a commonly cited average for silent reading of non-fiction.
- Speaking time: based on about 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for presentations and voiceovers.
Reading and speaking time
How many words should it be?
| Type of writing | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Meta description | 20–30 words (about 150–160 characters) |
| Social media post | 20–60 words |
| Short blog post or news update | 500–800 words |
| In-depth guide or how-to article | 1,500–2,500 words |
| College application essay | Often 250–650 words — check the prompt |
| 1-minute speech | About 130–150 words |
For SEO, there's no ideal word count. Google rewards pages that fully answer the searcher's question. Cover the topic completely, then stop — padding a page to hit a number usually makes it worse.
Writing tips the counter helps with
- Keep sentences readable. If your average is above about 20 words per sentence, try splitting long sentences. The Readability Checker gives a full score.
- Watch repetition. If one word dominates your top-words list, swap in natural variations.
- Plan talk length. Use speaking time to fit a speech, video script or podcast intro into your time slot.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter count words?
It counts runs of letters and numbers as words. Hyphenated words (like “well-known”) and contractions (like “don't”) count as one word, and punctuation and extra spaces are ignored.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes at an average silent reading speed of roughly 238 words per minute, and about 7 minutes to say aloud at 140 words per minute.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
Roughly 650–750 words at a natural speaking pace of 130–150 words per minute.
Does the word counter work in other languages?
Yes, for languages that separate words with spaces, such as Spanish, French, German and Hindi. Languages without spaces, like Chinese or Japanese, are better measured by character count.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. Counting happens instantly in your browser and nothing you type is sent to a server or stored.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. It works in any modern mobile browser — paste or type and the counts update live.