Skip to content

Word Counter

Count words, Unicode characters, sentences and paragraphs. Inspect English readability, estimate reading time and compare a selected publishing length rule.

Use this result well

Inputs that matter
Text typed, pasted or imported from a plain text file; up to 500,000 UTF-16 code units.
Output to expect
Named Unicode counts, word frequencies and timing estimates, with English readability and a publishing-field comparison where shown.
How it works
Analysis updates as you edit; larger drafts run in a cancellable background task. Reading uses 238 words per minute and speaking uses 150.
  • Character counts distinguish UTF-16 units, Unicode code points and visible character groups. Use the measure required by your destination.
  • Word and sentence boundaries can vary by language and browser. English syllable and readability estimates do not judge accuracy or suitability for your audience.
  • Select a publishing field for its named character or byte comparison. An SEO writing budget is your own editing target.
Was this tool helpful?

Projects using Word Counter

This tool is part of these guided projects. Each project provides step-by-step instructions with checklists and all the tools you need in one place.

Blog Content Decision Record

Prepare one source-led, rights-cleared, accessible, rendered and owner-approved article package without promising ranking, traffic, publication, or audience response.

6 steps11 toolsStart project

Related Tools

Tools you might need next

Unicode Character Counter

Compare UTF-16 units, Unicode code points and grapheme clusters. Choose a publishing field to inspect its weighted-character, Unicode or UTF-8 byte rule.

Recommended next stepAnalysis
Reading Time Calculator

Estimate a text’s silent reading time at 238 words per minute. Review word counts and the fixed-rate assumption before budgeting a reading session.

Recommended next stepAnalysis
Keyword Density Checker

Count keyword and phrase matches, inspect them in the source, and compare word frequencies with clear denominators. Export CSV or a complete analysis JSON.

Recommended next stepAnalysis

Reference & details

How it works

Words and boundaries

Native Intl.Segmenter identifies word-like units. Hyphenated expressions can split into several tokens. If native segmentation is unavailable, the tool discloses its CJK-character and whitespace approximation. Blank lines separate paragraph blocks.

Fixed timing estimates

Reading uses 238 words per minute, an adult English non-fiction reference from Brysbaert (2019). Speaking uses a 150-word-per-minute planning assumption. These rates do not measure your own pace or include pauses.

Reading minutes = counted words / 238; speaking minutes = counted words / 150

Source: Brysbaert (2019): reading-rate review

English readability and publishing fields

The English prose control enables inspectable formula estimates and word pronunciation corrections. Publishing comparisons use the selected field and named Unicode or byte unit. An SEO budget is an editing target you enter yourself.

Updated: September 2026

Example Scenarios

Paste The cat sat on the mat. to inspect six word-like tokens and one sentence candidate.

Text: The cat sat on the mat.

→ 6 words; 1 sentence candidate; 17 letters and numbers for ARI.

Keep the blank line between the two sentences.

Text: One two three. Four five six.

→ 6 word-like tokens, 2 sentence candidates and 2 paragraph blocks.

Find repeated content words without changing the draft.

Text: constructor constructor prototype.

→ constructor occurs 2 times; prototype occurs 1 time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Treating a generic character count as the X counter

Choose X standard post. Its weighted count treats recognized URLs and emoji differently from UTF-16 length.

Treating a word target as a search ranking requirement

Use the length needed to answer the reader’s question. The tool measures the supplied text and does not predict ranking or reader engagement.

FAQ

Tokenization policies differ, especially for hyphens, apostrophes, numbers and languages without spaces. This panel identifies word-like units with Intl.Segmenter where available and reports when a fallback is used. Use the receiving system for its official submission count.

The Reading Time estimate is 1.0 minute at the fixed 238-word-per-minute reference. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, or about 1.6 minutes for the same word count. Rehearse or time your own reading when the schedule matters.

Spaces, punctuation and emoji do not enter the ARI letter-and-number count. Punctuation can still change detected sentence boundaries, so inspect the counted words and sentence candidates.

Paste extracted text or choose a plain text file. Files may use UTF-8, or UTF-16 with an encoding marker. The limit is 2,000,000 file bytes and 500,000 UTF-16 code units after decoding. PDF and Word document parsing is not provided.

Larger inputs run in a browser worker. You can cancel or retry the analysis, or edit the source to replace it. Copy, Print and Project saves wait for a result that matches the current input.

The report names each counting unit and the reading and speaking rates. Where shown, it also includes readability formulas, their counted inputs, word corrections, sources and the selected publishing-length comparison.

About Word Counter

Paste a draft or load plain text to inspect its length, sentence boundaries, repeated words and reading-time estimate. Choose a publishing field when you need a character or byte comparison. Submission systems may tokenize the same text differently.