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Count words and characters

Paste your text and see every count update live, including how long it takes to read aloud.

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  • Unlimited use

Word Counter

Processed locally

Reading time and speaking time are different numbers, and both get misused

Silent reading of prose runs at roughly 238 words per minute for adults — a figure from a 2019 meta-analysis of nearly 200 studies, and considerably slower than the 300 wpm that content management systems default to. That default is why "5 min read" labels are consistently optimistic.

Speaking is much slower: around 130 words per minute for a prepared talk delivered clearly, and slower still if you pause for effect or field questions. A conference organiser asking for a twenty-minute slot is asking for about 2,600 words, not 4,800. Writing to the reading-time figure is the single most common reason talks overrun.

Both numbers assume ordinary prose. Technical material with equations, code or unfamiliar terminology can halve the reading rate, and no word count captures that. Treat the estimate as a floor.

How it works

  1. Paste or type your text
  2. Watch the counts update as you type
  3. Nothing to click and nothing to save
Why nothing uploads. Every operation on this page happens inside your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Your file is read into memory, processed, and offered back as a download. It is never transmitted. Disconnect from the internet after this page loads and the tool keeps working.

Frequently asked questions

How is reading time calculated?
At 238 words per minute, the adult silent reading rate for prose established by a large meta-analysis. Technical or unfamiliar material reads considerably slower.
Why is speaking time so much longer than reading time?
Speaking runs at around 130 words per minute when delivered clearly. A twenty-minute talk is roughly 2,600 words, not the 4,800 a reading-time estimate would suggest.
What counts as a sentence?
A run of text ending in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Abbreviations like "e.g." inflate the count slightly — no counter handles this perfectly without a language model.
Does it count characters with or without spaces?
Both are shown. Character limits on social platforms almost always include spaces; academic word limits almost never count characters at all.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Counting happens as you type, in your browser. The text never leaves the page.

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