Word Counter with Reading Time
Counts words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, unique words and reading time while you type, with the per-field limits writers actually work to — a tweet, a meta description, an essay target — and keyword density underneath.
0words
0characters with spaces
0characters without spaces
0sentences
0paragraphs
0unique words
0 secreading time
0 secspeaking time
Goal
Common field limits
Each row reads the live character count against the published limit of a field people actually write in.
| Field | Limit | Status |
|---|
Top words (keyword density)
1–3% density is normal. Above 5% reads as stuffed.
| # | Word | Count | Density |
|---|
Averages
| Longest sentence | — |
| Average sentence length | — |
| Average word length | — |
| Word count rule | — |
How to use the Word Counter
Type or paste your text in the box. Every count updates as you type, debounced at 150ms so a long paste does not freeze the page. The eight stat cells at the top are the most-used numbers; the goal bar and the field limits underneath are the two most-asked questions: am I there yet, and will it fit where I am posting it?
The field limits are the published limits for each platform or surface, and the row reads “Inside (N left)” or “Over by N”. Density is computed from the case-folded word list, with stop words removed by default. The averages at the bottom are the most useful for editing: if the longest sentence is more than 25 words, it is the candidate to break up first.
How is a word counted?
By default, words are runs of non-whitespace that contain at least one letter or digit. Hyphenated and apostrophed words count as one word when the relevant box is checked; the rule is printed under the averages so a discrepancy with Word or Google Docs is easy to explain. For CJK text, the tool detects a high ratio of CJK codepoints and switches to counting characters as words, saying which rule is in use.
Will the page freeze on a long paste?
Up to 100,000 characters, the count is debounced at 150ms. Above 100,000 characters, the live count switches to a 400ms idle timer and the UI says live counting slowed for a long document. The count itself does not change; only how often it updates.
What is the Top words table for?
It is keyword density. If a word you are targeting is at 0.5%, the page is not pulling its weight. If it is above 5%, the page is stuffed and reads as a keyword list. The table is the simplest way to see the number without doing the math by hand.