Words · Characters · Sentences · Reading time · Readability
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Avg sentence length
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Character Counter
Free online word counter. Instantly count words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs, and estimated reading time. Also shows the Flesch readability score. Fully client-side — your text stays in your browser.
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Word count is the most basic measure of text length, used by writers, editors, students, and developers alike. But raw word count is just the start — reading time, character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, and paragraph count together give a complete picture of a piece of text's length and density.
This tool provides a live breakdown as you type: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and estimated reading time (based on the 238 words-per-minute average adult reading speed). All processing happens locally — no text is sent anywhere.
How to use the Word Counter
Paste or type your text into the input box. Results update in real time — you'll see word count, character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, paragraph count, estimated reading time, and Flesch readability score. No need to click anything.
Understanding the Flesch readability score
90–100: Very easy — 5th grade level (e.g. comic books). 70–80: Easy — 7th grade (e.g. Reader's Digest). 60–70: Standard — 8th–9th grade (most web content targets this). 30–50: Difficult — college level. 0–30: Very difficult — professional/academic writing. For general web content, aim for 60–70.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute, which is the average adult silent reading speed. For technical or dense content, actual reading time may be longer. For light reading, it may be shorter.
How is the Flesch readability score calculated?
The Flesch Reading Ease score uses the formula: 206.835 - 1.015 × (words/sentences) - 84.6 × (syllables/words). Scores range from 0–100. 60–70 is standard (easy to read). Below 30 is very difficult (academic/legal). Above 80 is very easy (children's books).
Does the word counter count punctuation as characters?
The 'characters (with spaces)' count includes everything — letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces. The 'characters (no spaces)' count excludes space characters. Both counts include punctuation marks.
What is the ideal word count for a blog post?
For SEO, 1,500–2,500 words is the sweet spot for most topics. Long-form posts (3,000+ words) tend to rank higher for competitive keywords because they cover topics more thoroughly. However, quality matters more than length — a focused 800-word article beats a padded 3,000-word one.
How many pages is 1,000 words?
At standard formatting (12pt font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins) approximately 4 pages. Single-spaced: about 2 pages. A typical paperback novel page holds ~250–300 words. So 1,000 words ≈ 3–4 paperback pages.
What are the character limits for major platforms?
Twitter/X: 280 characters. SMS: 160 characters (GSM-7) or 70 (Unicode). Instagram caption: 2,200 characters. Meta title: 60 characters. Meta description: 160 characters. LinkedIn post: 3,000 characters. YouTube description: 5,000 characters.
How many words per minute does the average person read?
Adults read silently at 200–250 wpm on average. Speed readers can reach 400–700 wpm. Technical content is slower (~150 wpm). Audiobooks are recorded at ~150 wpm. This tool calculates reading time at 200 wpm, which is the standard used by Medium and most reading-time estimators.