Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs instantly.
Input
Statistics
Get instant statistics on any text — words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, plus estimated reading and speaking time. It handles English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and mixed-language content, making it useful for writers, students, translators, and anyone working against a length limit.
How to Use
- Enter text: Type or paste your text into the input field
- View stats: See real-time word, character, sentence counts
- Check timing: View reading and speaking time estimates
- Analyze: Use stats for content planning
Features
- Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs
- Reading time estimation (238 words/min)
- Speaking time estimation (130 words/min)
- Support for CJK characters
- Real-time counting as you type
How Word Counting Works
Counting words is subtler than it looks. For space-separated languages like English, the tool splits on whitespace, so “state-of-the-art” counts as one word. Character counts come in two forms: with spaces, and without — the figure style guides and translation quotes usually care about. Sentences are detected by terminal punctuation (. ! ?), paragraphs by blank lines. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean have no spaces between words, so each character counts as one word; a 1,000-character Chinese article is roughly the reading effort of a 600–700 word English one. Mixed text is counted both ways and added together.
Use Cases
- Academic writing: Check essay word count for assignments
- Blog posts: Estimate reading time for readers
- Social media: Count characters for Twitter/X posts
- SEO: Analyze content length for search optimization
Tips for Hitting Word Count Targets
Over the limit? Cut redundant qualifiers (“very”, “really”, “in order to”) and repeated ideas before deleting arguments — it preserves meaning far better. Under target? Add examples, evidence, or counterarguments rather than padding. For talks and video scripts, trust the speaking time over the raw count: at 130 words per minute, a ten-minute presentation needs about 1,300 words. And remember that many platforms limit characters, not words — X posts, meta descriptions, and SMS all have character budgets, so check those figures before publishing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the word count?
The tool uses Unicode-aware regex for accurate counting across multiple languages.
What's the average reading speed?
About 238 words per minute for adults. Speaking speed is approximately 130 words per minute.
How are Chinese, Japanese, and Korean texts counted?
For CJK text, each character is counted as one word, since these languages are not separated by spaces. Mixed text is handled too: CJK characters are counted individually while Latin words are counted by whitespace.
Does the counter store or upload my text?
No. All counting happens instantly in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, so you can safely analyze confidential drafts, emails, or unpublished manuscripts.