Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time — live as you type.
A word counter tallies the words in your text by counting runs of non-space characters separated by whitespace — the same rule Word and Google Docs use. It also reports characters, sentences, and paragraphs, and converts the word count into reading time at about 200 words per minute.
What it counts
As you type, the counter tracks words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, and paragraphs, and turns the word count into reading and speaking time. A word is any run of non-space characters separated by whitespace — the same rule most word processors use — so the count matches what your instructor’s editor reports. Need the figure as a page total instead? The words to pages converter turns it into pages by font and spacing.
Worked example
Suppose your draft holds 600 words and you want to know how long it runs.
- 1 Count the words. The tool splits on whitespace: 600 words, regardless of how many spaces or line breaks sit between them.
- 2 Estimate reading time. Silent reading is 200 wpm: 600 ÷ 200 = 3 minutes.
- 3 Estimate speaking time. Speaking is 130 wpm: 600 ÷ 130 = 4.6 minutes, or about 4 min 37 sec.
Reading and speaking time by length
Reading at 200 wpm, speaking at 130 wpm — the rates this tool uses.
| Words | Reading time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|
| 250 | 1 min 15 sec | 1 min 55 sec |
| 500 | 2 min 30 sec | 3 min 51 sec |
| 1,000 | 5 min | 7 min 42 sec |
| 2,000 | 10 min | 15 min 23 sec |
Common scenarios
Hitting a word limit. The live count lets you trim or pad to an exact target without re-pasting into another editor — watch the number as you cut.
Counting sentences and paragraphs. Sentences are detected by terminal punctuation (. ! ?), and paragraphs by blank lines, so headings and lists may shift the figures slightly.
Planning a talk. Use the speaking time as a first pass, then rehearse — most speakers slow down under pressure, so the real time tends to run longer.