Writing
Word & Character Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time as you type, and check your text against Google, X, Instagram, and SMS limits. Free, no signup.
0
Words
0
Characters
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
—
Reading time (200 wpm)
—
Speaking time (130 wpm)
Platform limits
- Google title tag0 / 60
- Google meta description0 / 155
- X (Twitter) post0 / 280
- SMS message0 / 160
- Instagram caption0 / 2,200
- LinkedIn post0 / 3,000
Counting happens in your browser as you type. Nothing is stored.
✳ Free · No signup · Runs in your browser — we never store your numbers
Small business guide
What this tool helps you do
Use this free word and character counter to check your text as you type: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and how long it takes to read aloud or silently. Everything updates live in your browser — nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored.
The panel below the counts does the part most counters skip: it checks your text against real platform limits — Google title tags (60 characters), meta descriptions (155), X posts (280), SMS (160), Instagram captions (2,200), and LinkedIn posts (3,000) — so you know it fits before you paste it somewhere that truncates.
How to use this tool
- 1
Paste or type your text into the box — counts update instantly as you edit.
- 2
Read the stats: words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs, reading time, and speaking time.
- 3
Check the platform limits panel to see where your text fits and where it runs over.
- 4
Trim or expand, and watch the counts move until everything you need is green.
Examples
Meta description check
A shop owner drafts a meta description for their services page.
Inputs
- Text: a two-sentence description of the page, drafted in the box
Result
The counter shows 172 characters — over the 155-character Google limit — so the owner trims one clause and lands at 149, safely inside the snippet.
Ten seconds of counting beats discovering the cut-off ellipsis in search results next week. For writing the description itself, the Meta Description Generator drafts options already sized to fit.
Speech timing for a video
A founder scripts a 60-second intro video for their homepage.
Inputs
- Text: the full script pasted into the box
Result
The script is 210 words — about 1.6 minutes of speaking time at a natural 130 words per minute — so roughly 80 words need to go to fit the minute.
Speaking time catches what word count hides: scripts almost always run longer out loud than they look on the page.
Key terms
Characters (no spaces)
The letter-and-punctuation count with whitespace removed. Some platforms and forms count this way, so both figures are shown.
Reading time
Estimated silent reading duration at 200 words per minute — the common average for adult readers of general content.
Speaking time
Estimated read-aloud duration at 130 words per minute — a natural presentation pace for scripts and videos.
How to interpret the result
Limits are about where text gets cut, not rules
Nothing stops you from writing a 200-character title tag — Google just truncates it mid-thought in the search results. The limits panel shows where each platform stops displaying, so you decide what the reader actually sees.
Word count is a budget, not a goal
Hitting a number proves nothing by itself; the counts are most useful for trimming. If the SMS shows 172 characters, that's one sentence to cut. If the caption is 2,900, Instagram will refuse it. Count, cut, and keep the meaning.
Common mistakes
- Writing meta titles and descriptions without counting, then losing the call to action to an ellipsis.
- Forgetting that spaces count as characters on most platforms — check the with-spaces figure for limits.
- Reading time isn't speaking time: a script that "reads in one minute" usually takes a minute and a half aloud.
- Padding text to hit a word count instead of saying the thing plainly and stopping.
Frequently asked questions
Is this word counter really free?+
Yes — free, no signup, no limits. Count as much text as you like, as often as you like.
Do you store what I type?+
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server or stored anywhere.
Do spaces count as characters?+
On most platforms, yes — an X post's 280 characters include spaces. The counter shows both figures so you can use whichever your platform counts.
How is reading time calculated?+
Words divided by 200 per minute for silent reading and 130 per minute for speaking, rounded up to whole minutes. Real speeds vary, but these are reliable planning averages.
What counts as a word or a sentence?+
Words are text separated by spaces or line breaks; sentences are counted by ending punctuation (. ! ?). A fragment without a period still counts as one sentence.
What platform limits does it check?+
Google title tags (60 characters), meta descriptions (155), X posts (280), SMS (160), Instagram captions (2,200), and LinkedIn posts (3,000). If your text runs over a limit, the AI Humanizer or Paraphrasing Tool can help tighten it.