Word Counter
Words, characters, reading time, keyword density and length limits, updating as you type. Nothing leaves your browser.
Keyword density
| Word | Uses | Share |
|---|
Type at least a few words to see which ones you lean on.
What each number means
| Count | How it is worked out |
|---|---|
| Words | Runs of characters separated by whitespace, the same rule a word processor uses. A hyphenated compound such as well-known counts as one. |
| Characters | Every character in the box, line breaks included. The chip below also shows the count with spaces removed. |
| Sentences | Runs ending in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. An abbreviation mid-sentence can add one, which is the honest limit of counting without understanding the text. |
| Paragraphs | Blocks separated by a blank line. A single block of text with soft wrapping is one paragraph, however long it looks. |
| Reading time | 200 words per minute, the usual figure for silent reading of ordinary prose. |
| Speaking time | 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for reading aloud or presenting. |
| Reading ease | The Flesch reading ease score, from sentence length and syllables per word. Higher is easier. |
Reading ease, and what to do with it
The score runs from roughly 0 to 100. Above 60 is comfortable for a general audience, 30 to 60 reads as fairly dense, and below 30 is hard going for anyone who is not already expert in the subject. It is driven by two things only: how long your sentences are and how many syllables your words carry. That makes it a useful nudge rather than a verdict, since it cannot tell a clear technical sentence from a muddled one.
When a score comes back lower than you want, the fastest fix is almost always splitting the longest sentences rather than hunting for shorter words.
Keyword density is a diagnostic, not a target
The table shows which words you lean on most, as a share of the total. It is genuinely useful for catching a term you have repeated without noticing, or for checking that a piece is about what you think it is about. It is not something to optimise towards. Writing to hit a density figure produces worse text, and search engines stopped rewarding that a long time ago. Ignore common words filters out articles, prepositions and auxiliaries so the list shows the words that carry meaning.
Length limits worth knowing
The meters above track the limits people most often write against. All of them count characters rather than words.
| Where | Limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Search result title | 60 characters | Not a hard cap. Titles are cut by pixel width, so 60 is a safe working figure. |
| Meta description | 155 characters | Also cut by width, and often rewritten by the search engine anyway. |
| SMS | 160 characters | A longer message is split and billed as more than one. |
| Post on X | 280 characters | Links count as a fixed length regardless of how long they are. |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters | Only the first line or two shows before the more link. |
How to use it
Type or paste into the box and everything updates as you go. Copy text puts the contents on your clipboard, Paste pulls from it where the browser allows, and Clear empties the box. Nothing is saved between visits, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Questions
How is a word counted?
A word is any run of characters separated by whitespace, which is the same rule word processors use. A hyphenated compound such as well-known counts as one word, and a number or a standalone symbol surrounded by spaces also counts as one.
How is reading time worked out?
At 200 words per minute, the usual figure for silent reading of ordinary prose. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, which is a comfortable presentation pace. Both are estimates: dense or technical writing is slower and a familiar subject is faster.
What does keyword density tell me?
It shows which words you lean on most, as a share of the total. It is useful for spotting a word you have repeated without noticing. It is not a target to optimise: writing to hit a density figure produces worse text, and search engines have not worked that way for a long time.
Why does my character count differ from another tool?
Usually line breaks. Some tools ignore them, some count each one as a character, and Windows text carries two characters per break rather than one. This tool counts every character in the box exactly as typed, and also shows the count without spaces.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Every count runs inside your browser and this tool has no backend, so nothing you paste is transmitted, logged or stored.
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