Word Counter

It has two modes. In "Paste text" mode, type or paste your text and the counts update as you type: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and speaking time. The counting happens in your browser and your text is never sent to a server. In "Web page" mode, enter a page address and our server loads the page, removes scripts, styles and hidden code, and counts the visible words, then shows the reading time, headings and most repeated words and phrases.

Any run of letters or numbers counts as one word. Contractions such as "don't" and hyphenated terms such as "well-known" each count as one word, and numbers such as 2026 count too. Both modes use the same rule, so the same text gives the same number in each. For web pages, menus, headers and footers are left out of the "Main content" count, and you can switch them back in with "Full page".

Tools disagree on small things: whether "well-known" is one word or two, whether a dash or "&" counts, whether numbers count, and, for web pages, whether menus, footers and cookie banners are included. A difference of a few words is normal. Pick one tool and keep using it when you compare drafts or pages.

It reads the HTML a server returns. Pages that build their text with JavaScript after loading may show a lower count than visitors see, and sites that block automated requests cannot be read. We tell you when we spot either case. To count text from such a page, copy it and use "Paste text" mode.

There is no magic number. Pages rank when they answer the search fully, so look at what already ranks for your keyword and cover the topic at least as well. Use "Web page" mode to check those competitor pages, then write for the reader, not for a target length.

Reading time assumes 230 words per minute, a common speed for adults reading online. Speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, a relaxed pace for a talk or a voice-over. They are estimates: a technical text takes longer to read than a light one.

Keyword density is how often a word or phrase appears, as a percentage of all the words. The table shows your most repeated words and two- and three-word phrases. There is no ideal percentage for SEO. If one phrase sits far above everything else, the text may sound forced, so read it aloud. Use the table to check that your main topic appears naturally, not to hit a target.

Common words such as "the", "and" and "of" appear in every text and tell you nothing about the topic, so the table hides them by default. In "Paste text" mode, tick "Include common words" to see them.

In "Paste text" mode, a sentence ends at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or line break, so "Dr. Smith" or "e.g. this" can be counted as two. A paragraph is a block of text separated from the next by a blank line. Treat both counts as a close guide, not an exact grammar check.

Pick a limit, such as a 160-character meta description, and the bar shows how much of it you have used and when you are over. Search engines may cut a title or description that runs past the limit. The limits are common guides, not strict rules: Google measures in pixels, not characters.

It is free with no sign-up. We do not save the text you paste or the pages you check. Pasted text is counted in your browser and never leaves it; for web pages, the address you enter is sent to our server only to load that page.