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Word Counter
Count words, sentences, and reading time instantly
About this tool
Word Counter
A free online word counter that shows word count, sentence count, reading time, speaking time, and more. Built for writers, students, bloggers, and SEO specialists. Works with English and mixed-language text directly in your browser.
Highlights
- Words, sentences, and paragraphs at a glance See your word count update with every keystroke, alongside sentence and paragraph counts — everything you need to size up a draft.
- Reading and speaking time Get an instant estimate of how long it will take to read (200 wpm) or speak (130 wpm) your text. Perfect for articles, scripts, and presentations.
- Most frequent words breakdown See the top 20 words in your text, ranked by frequency. Useful for tightening prose, checking repetition, and SEO keyword density.
- Private by default All counting happens in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored on a server. Safe for drafts, essays, and confidential copy.
When it helps
- Counting words in essays, articles, and blog posts
- Estimating reading and speaking time for scripts or presentations
- Checking word frequency for SEO and keyword density
- Staying within assignment word-count requirements
- Measuring LinkedIn posts, newsletters, and cover letters
How to use it
- Paste or type your text Drop your draft into the text area. You can type directly or paste from any document.
- Read the metrics Word count updates in real time, along with sentences, paragraphs, reading time, and speaking time.
- Review the frequency list Check the top 20 most-used words on the right to spot repetition and tune keyword density.
FAQ
- How are words counted?
- Words are separated by whitespace. For Japanese, Chinese, or Korean text, each ideograph, hiragana, or katakana character is counted as one word — a simplified heuristic that matches common word processors.
- Is my text sent to a server?
- No. All counting happens locally in your browser. Nothing leaves your device.
- What reading speed do you assume?
- Reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute (an average adult reading pace), and speaking time at 130 words per minute (a natural presentation pace).
- Does it work with mixed English and Japanese text?
- Yes. English words are split by whitespace while CJK characters are counted individually, then the two totals are combined.
- Is it free?
- Yes, completely free with no sign-up required.
What Word Counter does
Word Counter is a free online tool that shows you, in real time, how many words, sentences, paragraphs, and characters your text contains — plus estimated reading and speaking time. It is built for anyone who writes to a word budget: students working on essays, bloggers aiming for a target length, speakers timing their scripts, and SEO writers tracking keyword density. Everything runs in your browser, so your drafts never leave your device.
What you can see
- Word count, updated with every keystroke
- Sentence count and paragraph count, based on punctuation and line breaks
- Characters (with and without spaces)
- Unique word count and the longest word in your text
- Average words per sentence and average characters per word for readability
- Reading time at 200 words per minute and speaking time at 130 words per minute
- Top 20 most frequent words, to help spot repetition and tune keyword density
Who it is for
A single-number word count is rarely enough. When you are writing an article, you want to know how long it will take to read. When you are drafting a speech, you want to know how long it will take to deliver. When you are optimizing for SEO, you want to see which words you are leaning on most. Word Counter surfaces all of those metrics at once, so you can keep writing instead of switching tools.
How to use it
- Paste or type your text into the editor
- Watch the word count, reading time, and other metrics update as you edit
- Scan the most-frequent-words list to spot repetition or boost keyword density
- Save a draft locally if you want to come back to it later
About mixed-language text
Word Counter supports mixed English and Japanese (or Chinese, Korean) text. English words are detected by splitting on whitespace, while CJK characters are counted individually — the same simplified rule used by Microsoft Word and Google Docs. For purely English text, the word count matches standard word processors. For purely CJK text, each ideograph, hiragana, or katakana character counts as one word.
The “most frequent words” panel only looks at Latin-script words, which is why CJK characters will not appear there.
FAQ
- Is my text uploaded anywhere? No — all processing happens in your browser.
- What reading speed do you assume? 200 wpm for reading, 130 wpm for speaking.
- Is it free? Yes, and no account is required.
- Does it work on mobile? Yes, any modern mobile browser works.