Writing to a limit — an essay, a bio, a post, or a form field — and unsure whether you are over or under? This free word and character counter counts as you type: words, characters with spaces, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and an estimated reading time. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and no signup is needed.
How to use this word and character counter
Three quick steps — no signup, no cost.
Drop in an essay, a caption, or a paragraph — the counts update on every keystroke.
Check characters with spaces and without spaces side by side, so you use whichever figure your limit actually asks for.
Use the sentence and paragraph counts to judge length, and the reading-time estimate to sense how long the piece takes to read.
Why this word and character counter shows both character counts
Forms and platforms disagree about what counts — so this tool refuses to guess for you.
Words, characters with spaces, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and lines in one view.
An approximate reading time, worked out from the word count, so you can judge length at a glance.
Counts update as you type, so checking one paragraph inside a long document is instant.
Counting happens on your device, which is why the tool works on drafts you would rather not send anywhere.
Word and Character Counter FAQs
Short, direct answers to the questions readers ask most.
Each run of characters between spaces or line breaks counts as one word, so a hyphenated word like “state-of-the-art” counts as one and numbers count as words.
It depends on the limit, which is why the tool shows both figures: characters with spaces includes every space, and characters without spaces excludes them. Most form limits count spaces, so use the with-spaces figure unless the rules say otherwise.
Because counters define “word” differently — some split on punctuation, others do not — and they use different reading speeds for reading time, so treat small differences as definition differences, not errors.
No. Counting runs in your browser and your text stays on your device.
Yes — free, with no account and no signup.
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