How to use the word counter
- Type or paste your text. All numbers update instantly.
- Check the limits panel to see whether the text fits a post, title, caption or SMS.
- Use reading time to plan articles, speeches and video scripts.
Your text is saved in this browser only, so you can close the tab and come back later. It is never uploaded.
How words and characters are counted
The counter uses your browser's built-in language rules (Intl.Segmenter), so words are found correctly in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, German and many other languages. Characters are counted the way people see them: an emoji like 👍🏽 or a letter with an accent counts as one.
speaking time = words ÷ 150 per minute
Example
A 1,200-word blog post takes about 5 minutes to read and 8 minutes to read aloud. A 2-minute video script should be around 300 words.
Typical lengths
| Text | Usual length |
|---|---|
| Tweet / X post | Up to 280 characters |
| SEO title | 50–60 characters |
| Meta description | 120–160 characters |
| Blog post | 800–2,000 words |
| College essay (Common App) | Up to 650 words |
| Abstract | 150–250 words |
Why SMS length changes with Arabic
A standard SMS holds 160 characters from the basic Latin alphabet (GSM-7). As soon as you use Arabic, emoji or some accented letters, the phone switches to Unicode and a message holds only 70 characters (67 per part when split). The counter detects this and shows how many messages your text will use. More in our guide to character limits.
Frequently asked questions
Do numbers and hyphenated words count as words?
Numbers count as words. A hyphenated word like “well-known” is split by some tools and not others; this counter follows the Unicode rules of your browser.
Why is my count different from Microsoft Word?
Tools treat dashes, slashes, URLs and emoji differently, so small differences (usually under 1%) are normal.
Does X count characters the same way?
Almost. X counts links as 23 characters and some characters (like emoji and Chinese) as two, so leave a little margin.
Is my text stored on a server?
No. It is saved only in your browser's local storage, which you can clear at any time.
Sources: Unicode Standard Annex #29 (text segmentation); Brysbaert M., Journal of Memory and Language, 2019 (reading speed); 3GPP TS 23.038 (SMS alphabets).
Guides
More free text tools
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02. Results are calculated in your browser and may differ slightly from other apps. See our disclaimer.