Word counter
How many words is this?
Paste or type your text to get an instant word count, character count, and reading time. Updates as you type.
Stats
Common limits
Top words
Add more text to see a useful list.
How to check word count in Google Docs
- Open your document in Google Docs.
- Click Tools → Word count.
- If you want a live count while you type, turn on Display word count while typing.
On mobile, open the menu (the three dots), then look for Word count.
How to see word count in Microsoft Word
- Windows: check the status bar at the bottom for the word count, or go to Review → Word Count.
- Mac: check the status bar for the word count, or go to Tools → Word Count.
Tip: If you only want the count for part of a document, select the text first.
FAQ
What counts as a word?
Most counters treat a word as a chunk of letters or numbers separated by spaces or punctuation. Hyphenated terms and emoji can be counted differently depending on the tool.
Why do word counts differ between tools?
Different apps make different choices about punctuation, special characters, line breaks, and hyphenated words. If you are submitting to a platform with a strict limit, double check in the editor you will publish in.
What’s the difference between characters and characters (no spaces)?
Characters includes everything you typed, including spaces. Characters (no spaces) removes spaces, which is useful for platforms that count only visible characters.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is an estimate based on an average reading speed. Speaking time is based on an average speaking pace. These are meant as quick baselines, not exact measurements.
A note on word count estimates
Some questions do not have a single correct answer, but it still helps to have a baseline. Many paragraphs land around 50 to 150 words in everyday writing, and 1,000 characters often lands around 150 to 200 words in plain English, depending on word length and spacing. If you are writing for a class, publication, or platform with strict limits, follow that specific guideline and use the editor you will publish in.
Is my text uploaded or stored anywhere?
No. Whatever you paste here is counted right inside your browser, so it is not sent to a server or saved anywhere.