This word counter gives the number of words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs as you type. It also estimates reading time (238 words a minute), speaking time (150 words a minute) and page count, and lists the eight words you use most.
Paste text or upload a .docx, .pdf or .txt file. Counting happens in your browser, so your essay stays on your device.
How to use it
- Type or paste into Type or paste your text, or click Or upload a file for a .docx, .pdf or .txt file.
- Read Words at the top of the results. Everything updates as you type.
- If your limit is in characters, use Characters or Characters (no spaces).
- Time a talk with Speaking time (150 wpm).
- Scan Most used words for words you repeat.
How the counts are made
- Words: runs of letters or digits. An inner apostrophe or hyphen keeps a word whole (don’t, well-known), and numbers such as 3.5 or 2,000 and abbreviations such as U.S. count as one word.
- Sentences: a new one starts after . ! or ? when the next word begins with a capital, a digit, a quote mark or a bracket.
- Paragraphs: blocks separated by a blank line.
- Average word length: letters and digits ÷ words, so punctuation is left out.
- Times and pages: words ÷ 238 for reading and ÷ 150 for speaking; words ÷ 500 and ÷ 250 for single and double-spaced pages.
- Most used words: the top eight, ignoring numbers, words under three letters and common words such as the and with.
Worked example: 75 words on curing concrete
The screenshot counts a paragraph whose five sentences have 16, 9, 13, 16 and 21 words.
- Words: 16 + 9 + 13 + 16 + 21 = 75. Characters: 403, or 329 without spaces.
- Average word length: 318 letters ÷ 75 = 4.24, shown as 4.2. Average sentence length: 75 ÷ 5 = 15.0.
- Reading time: 75 ÷ 238 = 0.315 min = 18.9 s, shown as 19 sec. Speaking time: 75 ÷ 150 = 0.5 min = 30 sec.
- Pages: 75 ÷ 500 = 0.15, shown as 0.2; 75 ÷ 250 = 0.3.
- Top word: curing, 3 ÷ 75 = 4.0%. The appears 7 times but is on the skip list.
Limits of this counter
- Figures such as 3.5 or 2,000 count as one word, as in Microsoft Word, but a unit written with a space (25 mm) adds a second word.
- “Dr. Smith” ends a sentence in the count, because a capital follows the full stop.
- If your course excludes references, captions or appendices from the limit, delete them before counting.
- Page estimates ignore font, margins and headings.
- Scanned PDFs have no text layer, so nothing loads from them.
Questions people ask
How many pages is 1,000 words?
About 2 pages single spaced and 4 double spaced, using the 500 and 250 words per page this counter assumes. A bigger font, wider margins or many headings add pages, so check the final layout in your word processor.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
About 750 words at 150 words a minute, the speaking rate used here. Your own pace may differ and slide changes add time, so rehearse with a timer.
Does a hyphenated word count as one word?
Yes. Well-known and cross-section count as one word each, and so do contractions such as don’t. Numbers such as 3.5 and 2,000 also count as one word.
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