Word & Character Counter
Paste or type any text to count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type. Reading and speaking time estimates help you plan articles, scripts and posts.
Your text is counted in your browser and is never sent to a server.
Statistics
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0
- Characters (no spaces)
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- Reading time (200 wpm)
- 0 sec
- Speaking time (130 wpm)
- 0 sec
Average word length: 0.0 characters
What is a word counter?
A word counter is a tool that counts the words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in a piece of text. Writers use it to hit length targets for essays, articles, meta descriptions and social posts. This one updates live as you type and runs entirely in your browser, so your text is never uploaded.
How to use the word counter
- 1
Type or paste your text into the box. The counts update with every keystroke.
- 2
Read the Statistics panel for words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines.
- 3
Check the reading time (200 words per minute) and speaking time (130 words per minute) to judge length.
- 4
Click Copy stats to copy a summary of the counts, or Clear to start again.
How the counts work
- Words
- Any group of characters between spaces or line breaks that contains at least one letter or number. Hyphenated terms such as well-known count as one word.
- Characters
- Every character, including spaces and line breaks. The no-spaces figure leaves out all whitespace.
- Sentences
- Text that ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space or the end of the text.
- Paragraphs
- Blocks of text separated by at least one blank line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
No. The counts are calculated in your browser with JavaScript. Your text is not sent to Canvas Builder or any other server, and it is cleared when you close or refresh the page.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time divides the word count by 200 words per minute, and speaking time divides it by 130 words per minute. Both are rough estimates, because real speed depends on the reader and on how complex the text is.
Does it count numbers and hyphenated words?
Yes. Numbers such as 2026 or 3.5 count as words, and a hyphenated term such as well-known counts as one word. A symbol on its own, such as a dash between two spaces, is not counted.
Why is my count different from Word or Google Docs?
Each app has its own rules for edge cases such as dashes, URLs, emoji and abbreviations, so totals can differ slightly. This counter splits text on spaces and line breaks and counts a word only if it contains a letter or number. Abbreviations such as e.g. can also add to the sentence count.
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