Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time instantly.
How to use this tool
Why use this tool
FAQ
How is reading time calculated?
Does it count characters with spaces?
What counts as a word?
Does the counter work for languages other than English?
What is a good character count for SEO meta descriptions?
How long is a typical blog post?
About Word Counter
Knowing your word and character count matters more than ever. Every platform has limits: Twitter enforces 280 characters, LinkedIn article intros cap at 700 characters, the Common App college essay is 650 words, SEO meta descriptions should stay under 160 characters, and most academic assignments specify an exact word count. This tool measures all of these in one place, instantly as you type.
What Gets Counted
The counter tracks words (space-delimited sequences), characters with spaces, characters without spaces, sentences (ended by a period, exclamation mark, or question mark), and paragraphs (separated by blank lines). Reading time is calculated at 200 words per minute — the average adult silent reading speed — which gives a practical estimate for blog posts and articles.
Platform Character Limits at a Glance
Different platforms measure differently. Twitter counts characters, not words. LinkedIn's connection request note is 300 characters. Instagram captions allow 2,200 characters but only show the first 125 without a "more" click. YouTube video titles cut off at 70 characters in search results. Knowing these limits before you write — not after — saves editing time.
Readability and SEO
Long-form content (1,500+ words) tends to rank better in search engines because it has room to cover a topic thoroughly. But length is not the goal — depth is. The Flesch-Kincaid readability formula rewards shorter sentences and common words. Aim for an average sentence length under 20 words and a paragraph length under 100 words to keep readers engaged. Paste your draft here, check the sentence count, and break up anything that runs too long.