Word Counter

Instantly count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs. Get estimated reading and speaking times as you type. No sign-up needed.

Reading speed

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Reference

Reading Speeds & Writing Standards

Understanding the metrics this tool calculates

Reading Speeds
Words Per Minute

The average adult reads silently at 238 wpm. Slow readers manage ~150 wpm; speed readers can reach 350+ wpm. Academic or complex text is typically read at 100–200 wpm.

Speaking Speed
130 wpm Average

The average speaker delivers ~130 words per minute. This tool uses that rate for speaking time. For presentations, plan for slightly slower delivery (110–120 wpm) to ensure clarity.

Common Word Counts
Writing Benchmarks

Tweet: ~280 chars · Blog post: 1,000–2,000 words · Short story: 1,000–7,500 · Novel: 80,000+ words · 5-minute speech: ~650 words · 1-hour lecture: ~7,800 words.

Unique Words
Vocabulary Richness

A high ratio of unique words to total words indicates varied vocabulary. Shakespeare used ~31,000 unique words; the average adult actively uses ~20,000–35,000. Repetition is not always a flaw — it can aid clarity.

All analysis happens in your browser. Your text is never sent to any server — it stays completely private on your device.

FAQ

Common Questions

How is the word count calculated?
Words are counted by splitting the text on whitespace (spaces, tabs, newlines) and filtering out empty tokens. Hyphenated words like "well-known" count as one word. Numbers and standalone punctuation are excluded from the word count.
How is reading time estimated?
Reading time is calculated by dividing the word count by the selected reading speed (150, 238, or 350 words per minute). Use the speed selector above the tool to match your typical reading pace. Speaking time uses a fixed 130 wpm average.
What counts as a sentence?
Sentences are detected by splitting on terminal punctuation: periods, exclamation marks, and question marks, followed by a space or end of text. Abbreviations (e.g., "U.S.A.") may occasionally be counted as extra sentence breaks — this is a known limitation of simple regex-based detection.
How are paragraphs counted?
Paragraphs are separated by one or more blank lines (double newlines). Single line breaks within a block of text are treated as the same paragraph. This matches the standard convention used in most word processors.
Does the tool store or transmit my text?
No. All analysis runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is sent to any server. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet — the tool will continue to work perfectly.
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