📊 Word Count Tool
How It Works
Paste text and get live counts: characters (with/without spaces), words, unique words, lines, sentences, top words, and an estimated reading time (~200 wpm). Pick a word-split method to match your text — Whitespace for plain English, Unicode words for text with apostrophes and hyphens (don't, state-of-the-art), CJK as words when Chinese/Japanese/Korean is involved. Inputs over 100,000 characters pause live updates (use Force); everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Why Every Word Counter Gives a Different Number
"Word count" sounds objective, but tools disagree because they answer different questions:
- Hyphens and apostrophes: is "state-of-the-art" one word or four? Is "don't" one word or two tokens? MS Word says one; naive whitespace splitting agrees; some tokenizers don't.
- Numbers and URLs: "3.14" and "example.com/page" each count as one word in most tools — but not all.
- CJK text has no spaces: whitespace splitting sees an entire Chinese sentence as one "word." That's why this tool offers CJK-as-words mode, matching how Chinese "character count" is actually used.
- The practical rule: when a submission limit matters, ask which tool the gatekeeper uses — and when tracking your own writing, always measure with the same tool.
Length Limits Writers Hit Most Often
| Target | Typical limit |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 characters (CJK characters weigh double) |
| SMS segment | 160 GSM characters; 70 if any Unicode character appears |
| SEO title tag | ≤ 60 characters before truncation |
| Meta description | ~150–160 characters |
| College essays (Common App) | 650 words |
| Abstracts (many journals) | 150–250 words |
Note the SMS trap: one emoji or curly quote switches the whole message to Unicode encoding and cuts the per-segment limit from 160 to 70.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which character count do submission limits mean?
Usually "with spaces" for social platforms and "without spaces" for some publishers. This tool shows both — check the gatekeeper's definition when it matters.
How are sentences detected?
By terminal punctuation: full-width 。！？… count directly; half-width . ! ? must be followed by a space or line end so "3.14" and "e.g." aren't miscounted. A trailing fragment without punctuation counts as one sentence.
What's the reading-time estimate based on?
Roughly 200 words per minute — the adult silent-reading average. Technical material reads slower, skimming faster; treat it as a planning figure, not a promise.
Is my text private?
Yes — all counting runs in your browser via JavaScript. Nothing is sent to any server, so drafts and confidential documents are safe to paste.