Word Counter

Every tool counts words slightly differently, and the gaps are bigger than you'd think

There is no single definition of a word. Split on whitespace and "state-of-the-art" is one word; split on non-letters and it is four. Word processors, journals and school essay limits all draw the line in different places, which is why two counters disagree on the same paragraph.

How it works

• Counts words by whitespace runs, so hyphenated compounds count once, matching most word processors.
• Reports characters both with and without spaces, since limits are usually specified one way or the other.
• Estimates reading and speaking time, and lists your most repeated words with common filler words removed.

words       = number of whitespace-separated runs
characters  = every code unit, spaces and newlines included
sentences   = runs ending in . ! ? … , plus any trailing fragment
paragraphs  = blocks separated by a blank line

reading time  = words / 200 per minute
speaking time = words / 130 per minute

Worked example

The text: "The cat sat on the mat. The cat purred loudly, and the cat slept."

1. 14 whitespace-separated runs → 14 words
2. 66 characters including spaces, 53 without
3. 2 sentences, 1 paragraph
4. reading time = 14 / 200 × 60 ≈ 4 s
5. most used: cat ×3, mat ×1 — 'the' and 'and' are filtered as filler

Fourteen words by the whitespace rule. A counter that splits on punctuation as well would say the same here, but would diverge the moment a hyphen or an em dash appears.

Reading the result

• The 200 words-per-minute reading rate is a common average for silent reading of ordinary prose. Dense technical text runs slower, around 100–150, so treat the estimate as an order of magnitude.
• The 130 words-per-minute speaking rate is the usual guidance for presentations. Conversational speech is faster, nearer 150, but a talk delivered at conversational pace tends to lose the room.
• The most-used list drops words of two characters or fewer and a list of common English function words, otherwise every result would just be 'the' and 'of'.
• Nothing you type or paste is uploaded. The counting happens in your browser, which matters if the text is unpublished or confidential.

Common questions

Why does my word processor give a different number?

Usually hyphens, em dashes or numbers. Some counters treat "twenty-one" as two words and "1,000" as one; others reverse both. For a hard limit, always count with the tool the recipient will use.

Do characters include spaces?

Both figures are shown, because limits are specified both ways. Social platforms and SMS almost always count spaces; academic character limits often do not.