How to use Word counter
- 1
Type in the box, or paste your essay, article, post or script.
- 2
Watch the counts update as you write. There is no button to press.
- 3
Check reading and speaking time to see how long your text takes to read or present.
- 4
Look at the top keywords to spot words you repeat too often, and add your own words to ignore if you need to.
What this tool does
The word counter measures the length of any text while you type. It is useful for essays and assignments with word limits, social posts and meta descriptions with character limits, speeches that must fit a time slot, and any draft you want to tighten.
Features
- Nine live counts. Words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines, average word length, reading time and speaking time.
- Language-aware. Uses the browser's word and sentence rules, so non-English scripts and emoji are handled sensibly.
- Keyword density. The top ten words with counts and percentages, without common filler words.
- Custom ignore list. Leave out names or terms you don't want in the keyword list.
- Copy and clear with one click.
Limits
- Sentence detection follows punctuation, so abbreviations such as "Mr." or "e.g." can be counted as the end of a sentence.
- Paragraphs are blocks separated by an empty line; single line breaks count as lines, not paragraphs.
- The stopword list is English only. For other languages, turn it off or add your own words.
- Very long texts (hundreds of thousands of words) still work, but counts may lag slightly while you type.
Where your text is processed
This tool works in your browser: what you type or paste is processed on your own device, so it isn't sent to our server for this tool. Some other tools on UtiloNest do use our server, and their pages say so.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
Words are found with your browser's built-in language rules (Intl.Segmenter), the same kind of word breaking used for text selection. Contractions like "don't" and hyphenated words like "state-of-the-art" count as one word, and numbers count as words. Punctuation and emoji are not words.
Does it work for Urdu, Arabic, Chinese or Japanese?
Yes, as far as your browser's language data allows. Urdu and Arabic words are separated by spaces and count normally. Chinese and Japanese are written without spaces, so the browser uses a dictionary to split them into words; the result can differ a little from other tools.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time uses an average silent reading speed of 238 words per minute for adults reading non-fiction in English. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a typical pace for presentations. Your own speed may be faster or slower.
Why do characters with and without spaces differ from other counters?
This counter counts characters the way you see them. An emoji such as 👍🏽, or a letter with an accent built from two code points, counts as one character. Some tools count the underlying code units instead, so they show a higher number for emoji.
What are the top keywords?
The ten words you use most, with how often they appear and their share of all words. Common English words like "the", "and" and "of" are left out by default, along with numbers and one-letter words. You can switch the filter off or add your own words to skip.
Where is my text processed?
In your browser. This tool works on your own device, so what you type isn't sent to our server for it.