How is reading time calculated?

Reading time assumes an average silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute; speaking time assumes around 130 words per minute. These are averages — your audience may be faster or slower.

How are words counted?

Words are counted by splitting the text on whitespace, so runs of spaces, tabs and line breaks don't inflate the count. Numbers and hyphenated words count as single words.

What is keyword density?

Keyword density is how often a word appears as a percentage of all meaningful words (common stop words like "the" and "and" are excluded). It helps you avoid over-using a term in SEO content.

Yes. All counting happens locally in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server.

Word Counter

Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in real time, with reading time and keyword density.

Words

Characters

Characters (No Spaces)

Sentences

Paragraphs

Lines

Reading Time

Speaking Time

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What Is the Word Counter?

The Word Counter instantly counts the words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs and lines in your text as you type. It also estimates reading and speaking time and shows your top keywords by density, making it ideal for essays, articles, social posts and SEO content with strict length limits. Everything runs in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

How It Works

Type or paste your text into the box. The counters update live — there's no button to press. Use the keyword-density list to check how often your main terms appear, and the reading-time estimate to gauge length for blogs, scripts or speeches.

When to Use It

Use it whenever you have a length target: meta descriptions and titles, Twitter/X and other social limits, college essays with word counts, or articles where you need a target reading time. Writers, students, marketers and SEO specialists rely on it daily.

Step-by-Step Workflow

Save useful destinations. Favorites are a quick way to remember tools. Use the heart in the main menu to return to the Favorites page. Recently Used is a browsing convenience, not a durable project archive.
Pin tools you work in repeatedly. On Pinned Tools, search and select a result to add the actual working tool. Workspaces load as you scroll to them. Collapse an interface to reduce clutter without unmounting its current state. The clickable tool name opens the full page and its instructions.
Use the correct backup. Export Pins saves the collection of tool links, not every tool’s working data. A tool’s own JSON export is usually the best editable backup for a project. Favorites export/import handles favorite selections. Data Passport covers supported settings and saves, not every in-memory form or open file.
Test recovery before you need it. Import a backup in another browser profile, confirm the expected settings or project entries, and open representative tools. Keep the original backup until you know the transfer worked. Treat any shareable passport link or QR code containing personal data as private.

Read the complete workflow and related tools →

Practical Example

Paste a draft before submitting it to an application with a word limit. Compare the word count and character count separately: a 500-word limit and a 500-character limit are very different requirements.

Check Your Result

Count only the portion your submission requires; titles, references and captions may have separate rules.
Hyphenated words, URLs, emoji and languages without spaces can be counted differently by different editors. Verify the final count in the destination's own submission box.
Treat reading time as an estimate. Technical language, accessibility needs and spoken delivery can change the actual pace.

Limitations & Privacy

Word counts are not model token counts, and keyword frequency alone does not establish writing quality or search ranking.

Text analysis runs locally. Copying, downloading or sharing the text creates a separate copy that you control. See the Privacy Policy for site-wide storage, optional analytics and external-service details.

Explore practical tool workflows for the next step.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is reading time calculated?: Reading time assumes an average silent reading speed of about 200 words per minute; speaking time assumes around 130 words per minute. These are averages — your audience may be faster or slower.
How are words counted?: Words are counted by splitting the text on whitespace, so runs of spaces, tabs and line breaks don't inflate the count. Numbers and hyphenated words count as single words.
What is keyword density?: Keyword density is how often a word appears as a percentage of all meaningful words (common stop words like "the" and "and" are excluded). It helps you avoid over-using a term in SEO content.
Is my text private?: Yes. All counting happens locally in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server.

Found an issue? Send Feedback. See our data sources and update policy for tools that depend on changing information.