Word & Character Counter
Paste or type your text below — counts update live as you write.
How reading time is calculated
Reading time is estimated at an average adult reading speed of 200 words per minute. Actual reading time varies with text complexity and the reader's familiarity with the subject.
Common length targets
A tweet allows 280 characters, a typical meta description 155 characters, a college essay 500–650 words, and a blog post that ranks well in search engines usually runs 1,000+ words. This counter helps you hit any of those targets while you write.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text saved anywhere?
No. All counting happens locally in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server or stored.
How are words counted?
Words are sequences of characters separated by spaces or line breaks — the same rule used by most word processors, so counts should match what your teacher or editor sees.