Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs
Paste your text and see words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time update as you type.
- Words
- 0
- Characters (with spaces)
- 0
- Characters (no spaces)
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Reading time
- 0
Accepted input and counting rules
Any plain text you type or paste. The rules are simple and fixed so you can predict the numbers:
- Words: groups of characters separated by spaces, tabs or line breaks. “well-known” is one word; “well - known” is three tokens.
- Characters: each visible character or emoji counts once. “No spaces” removes every space, tab and line break first.
- Sentences: runs of text ending in a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis, plus a final run without punctuation. Abbreviations like “Dr.” can add an extra count.
- Paragraphs: blocks separated by at least one blank line.
How to use this tool
- Type or paste into the box. Counts update on every keystroke.
- Adjust the reading speed if you want a time estimate. 200 is a cautious everyday figure.
- Use Insert sample to see how the numbers behave.
- Copy the text or clear the box. Clearing a long text asks you to confirm first.
Examples
“The quick brown fox.” gives 4 words, 20 characters with spaces, 17 without, and 1 sentence.
“Hello world.” then a blank line, then “Second paragraph here.” gives 5 words, 2 sentences and 2 paragraphs.
1,000 words at 200 wpm is 5 min 0 s of reading time.
Why counters disagree
Word processors, social networks and web tools use different rules for hyphens, URLs, numbers and emoji. Platform limits (for example for a post or a form field) may count in another way, so check the limit with the platform when you are close. Languages written without spaces, such as Chinese or Japanese, cannot be counted reliably by this space-based word rule; the character count is the better guide there.
Troubleshooting
If the sentence count looks high, look for abbreviations or decimal numbers followed by a space. If the paragraph count looks low, make sure paragraphs are separated by a blank line, not just a line break.
Privacy
Text you type or paste is handled by JavaScript in your browser and is not sent anywhere by the tool code. The page is served by a web server that keeps ordinary access logs; see the Privacy Policy.
Examples with exact results
| Text | Words | Characters | Without spaces | Sentences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello, world! | 2 | 13 | 12 | 1 |
| one two (new line) three | 3 | 13 | 11 | 1 |
| Hi 😀 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Dr. Smith arrived. He sat. | 5 | 26 | 22 | 3 |
The last row shows a limitation. “Dr.” ends with a full stop, so the sentence rule counts it as a separate sentence and reports 3, although a person would say 2. The line break in the second row counts as one character and is removed in the “without spaces” figure. The emoji counts as a single character here, although some systems count it as two or more.
Reading the results
- Words are runs of non-space characters. Numbers and symbols standing alone count as words.
- Paragraphs need a blank line between them. One line break only starts a new line within the same paragraph.
- Reading time uses the speed you set, from 50 to 1,000 words per minute, with 200 as the starting value.
Practical uses
- Checking an essay or application against a stated word limit, after pasting only the counted part.
- Keeping a summary or description within a character limit set by a form or platform. Confirm how that service counts, especially for emoji and line breaks.
- Seeing whether a paragraph is too long, by looking at its sentence and word counts.
- Estimating how long a piece takes to read.
Limits
- Text in languages written without spaces will give a very low word count. Use the character count there.
- Pasted text from word processors and web pages can contain hidden characters that affect counts.
- The copy button copies your text, not the numbers.
- Clearing long text asks for confirmation, so you do not lose work by accident.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Likely reason | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Count differs from my word processor | Different rules for hyphens, symbols or footnotes | Paste only the counted section and compare rules |
| Too many sentences | Abbreviations or decimal numbers followed by a space | Treat the figure as approximate |
| Only one paragraph | No blank lines between paragraphs | Add a blank line |
| Reading time shows a dash | Speed outside 50 to 1,000 | Enter a valid number |
The reasoning behind these rules is explained in how to count words and characters accurately.
Frequently asked questions
Are spaces counted as characters?
Yes in “characters with spaces”; no in “characters without spaces”.
Is my text saved?
The tool code does not store or send it. Closing the tab clears it.
Why does another tool show a different count?
Different tools use different rules for hyphens, URLs and punctuation.