Free Generator

Word Counter

Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time

Converge Converge Team
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Your Text

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Read Time

A word counter is a tool that instantly analyzes text to show the number of words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs. It also estimates how long the text takes to read and speak aloud — essential metrics for writers, marketers, students, and anyone working with content.

Word count matters more than most people realize. According to Backlinko's analysis of 11.8 million Google search results, the average first-page result contains 1,447 words. Social media platforms enforce strict character limits: Twitter/X at 280, LinkedIn posts at 3,000, and Instagram captions at 2,200. Meta descriptions perform best at 155-160 characters.

Reading time has become a standard feature on blogs and news sites. Medium popularized the "X min read" format, and their internal data showed it increased engagement. A study by Brysbaert (2019) across 190 studies established the average adult reading speed at 238 words per minute for non-fiction — the baseline this tool uses.

For support teams writing knowledge base articles, canned responses, and help documentation, word count directly impacts effectiveness. Zendesk research found that the most-read help articles are between 400-600 words — long enough to be thorough but short enough to be actionable.

How to Use This Generator

  1. Paste or type: Enter your text in the text area. All metrics update instantly as you type.
  2. Read the stats: Word count, character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, paragraph count, and average words per sentence are shown in real-time.
  3. Check reading time: Estimated reading time (at 238 WPM) and speaking time (at 150 WPM) help you gauge content length.
  4. Clear and start over: Click "Clear" to reset the text area and all counters.

Pro Tips

  • Blog posts: Aim for 1,500-2,500 words for SEO-focused articles. Google tends to rank comprehensive content higher for informational queries.
  • Email subject lines: Keep under 50 characters. Campaign Monitor data shows 41 characters is the sweet spot for open rates.
  • Meta descriptions: Stay between 150-160 characters. Google truncates anything longer in search results.
  • Support responses: Keep canned replies under 150 words. Customers want quick answers, not essays.
  • Readability: Watch average sentence length. If it exceeds 25 words, consider breaking sentences up for easier scanning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the word counter work?
The tool splits your text by whitespace and counts each distinct word. Characters are counted individually, including spaces. Sentences are detected by period, exclamation mark, and question mark boundaries. Reading time is estimated at 238 words per minute, the average adult reading speed according to a 2019 meta-analysis.
What is the average reading speed?
The average adult reads approximately 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 words per minute for fiction, according to a meta-analysis by Brysbaert (2019) covering 190 studies. This tool uses 238 WPM as the default, which is the most widely cited benchmark for online content.
How many words should a blog post be?
For SEO, data from Backlinko shows the average first-page Google result contains 1,447 words. However, the ideal length depends on the topic and intent. How-to guides and pillar content perform well at 2,000-3,000 words. News articles and updates work at 600-1,000 words. Prioritize thoroughness over arbitrary word counts.
Does the character count include spaces?
This tool shows both: characters with spaces and characters without spaces. Social media platforms like Twitter/X count characters including spaces (280 limit). Meta descriptions count characters including spaces (recommended 155-160). Choose the metric that matches your use case.
What is a good sentence length?
For readability, aim for an average of 15-20 words per sentence. Research from the American Press Institute found that readers understand 100% of a message when sentences average 8 words, but only 10% when they average 43 words. Mix short and long sentences for rhythm.
How many words per paragraph?
For web content, keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences or roughly 40-80 words. Short paragraphs are easier to scan on screens. For academic or long-form writing, 100-200 words per paragraph is standard. Nielsen Norman Group research shows users scan rather than read most web pages.

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