How to use the word counter
- Click in the box and start typing, or paste text you have written somewhere else.
- The counts update as you go. There is no button to press.
- Scroll down to Top keywords to see which words you use most often.
You can keep editing right in the box. If you are trimming an essay to fit a limit, delete a sentence and see the new total straight away.
What each number means
- Words: the total number of words.
- Characters: every letter, number, space and symbol. Emoji count as one character each.
- Without spaces: characters with all spaces, tabs and line breaks removed. Some translation agencies charge by this number.
- Sentences: counted by full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.
- Paragraphs: blocks of text separated by an empty line.
- Reading and speaking time: how long an average person takes to read it silently or say it out loud.
How long should my text be?
| Type of writing | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Tweet or X post | 25 to 50 words |
| Product description | 50 to 300 words |
| Cover letter | 250 to 400 words |
| College admission essay | 500 to 650 words |
| Blog post | 1,000 to 2,000 words |
| 5 minute speech | about 700 words |
These are only guides. Always follow the limit your teacher, editor or application form gives you.
Using keyword density
The keyword table ignores common filler words like "the" and "and" and shows the words you lean on most. Writers use it to spot repetition. If "really" shows up twelve times in a 500 word piece, it is probably time to cut a few. For SEO, it is a quick check that your main topic actually appears in the text, but do not chase a specific percentage. Write naturally for people first.
Writing for a platform with a character limit? The character counter shows live progress against limits for X, meta descriptions, SMS and more.