How to use the word counter
- Type or paste your text into the box. Everything updates as you type.
- Read your word count and character count at the top right, with sentences, paragraphs, reading time and speaking time below.
- Check Character limits to see if your text fits a Google title, an X post or an Instagram caption. A bar turns red when you go over.
- Look at Top keywords to see which words you repeat most. Untick Skip common words to include words like “the” and “and”.
How words and characters are counted
- Words: anything between spaces or line breaks that contains a letter or number. “e-mail”, “don't” and “2026” are one word each. A lone “&” or “—” is not a word. This is the same rule Microsoft Word and Google Docs use.
- Characters: every letter, number, space, punctuation mark and emoji. Letters with accents (é, ñ, ü) and emoji such as 👍🏽 count as one character, exactly as you see them.
- Characters (no spaces): the same count without spaces, tabs and line breaks. Some schools and translators use this number.
- Sentences: text that ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Common abbreviations such as “Dr.” and “e.g.” don't end a sentence.
- Paragraphs: every line that has text on it. Empty lines are not counted.
How long is 500 words? Reading time, speaking time and pages
Reading time uses an average silent reading speed of 238 words per minute. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a comfortable pace for a speech or presentation. Page counts assume 12-point font with normal margins.
| Words | Reading time | Speaking time | Pages (single-spaced) | Pages (double-spaced) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 25 sec | 40 sec | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 250 | about 1 min | 1 min 40 sec | 0.5 | 1 |
| 500 | about 2 min | 3 min 20 sec | 1 | 2 |
| 750 | about 3 min | 5 min | 1.5 | 3 |
| 1,000 | about 4 min | 6 min 40 sec | 2 | 4 |
| 1,500 | about 6 min | 10 min | 3 | 6 |
| 2,000 | about 8½ min | 13 min 20 sec | 4 | 8 |
| 3,000 | about 12½ min | 20 min | 6 | 12 |
Character limits for search and social media
| Where | Limit | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Google title | about 60 | Google cuts titles by width in pixels, so 50–60 characters is a safe range. |
| Meta description | about 160 | Longer descriptions are usually cut off with “…” in search results. |
| X (Twitter) post | 280 | For standard accounts. Every link counts as 23 characters. |
| YouTube title | 100 | Only the first part shows in search, so put the key words first. |
| Pinterest description | 500 | Use natural keywords; they help your Pin appear in Pinterest search. |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | Only the first lines show before “more”, so start with the hook. |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | Posts are cut after a few lines with “…see more”. |
Platforms change their limits from time to time. These are the limits we know of as of late 2026.
What keyword density tells you
Keyword density is how often a word appears compared with the total number of words. If “coffee” appears 5 times in a 250-word text, its density is 2%.
Use it to spot words you repeat too much, or to check that your main topic is actually mentioned. There is no perfect percentage for SEO: write naturally for readers. Repeating a keyword over and over (keyword stuffing) can hurt your ranking.
Need to swap a repeated word? Use Find & Replace. Need to fix capital letters? Use the case converter or the title case converter.
Frequently asked questions
Does the character count include spaces?
Yes. Characters includes spaces and line breaks. Characters (no spaces) shows the same text without them, so you get both numbers at once.
How many pages is 1,000 words?
About 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced, using a 12-point font and normal margins.
How many words are in 1,000 characters?
Usually about 150 to 200 words in English, because an average English word has 4 to 5 letters plus a space. Paste your text to get the exact number.
Why is my count different from another tool?
Tools disagree on things like hyphenated words, URLs and emoji. This counter follows the same word rule as Microsoft Word and Google Docs and counts emoji and accented letters as one character, as you see them.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. Counting happens in your browser on your own device. Your text is never sent anywhere or stored.