Word Counter
Count the number of words in your text, plus characters, sentences, and reading time.
Words
0
Characters
0
Sentences
0
Unique words
0
Avg. word length
0.0
characters per word
Reading time
0s
About Word Counter
The word counter tallies the runs of letters and digits in your text, ignoring punctuation. It's the same definition used by most word-counting tools, including those built into Word and Google Docs. The companion metrics — characters, sentences, average word length, reading time — give context for the count.
When to use it
- Meeting word-count limits for essays, articles, or blog posts
- Estimating how long it'll take a reader to finish a draft
- Comparing the length of two pieces of writing
- Sanity-checking the output of an LLM or content generator
How it works
Words are matched by the regex /[\p{L}\p{N}]+/u — runs of Unicode letters or digits, allowing internal apostrophes and hyphens (don't, well-known). Punctuation outside words is not counted. The count is locale-independent.
Examples
Hello, world! This is a test.
6 words
Contractions and hyphenated words count as one
It's a well-known fact.
4 words
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a word?
- Any run of letters or digits, with optional internal apostrophes and hyphens. Numbers count as words (42 is one word). Standalone punctuation does not count.
- Does it count hyphenated words once or twice?
- Once. 'well-known' is one word, matching most style guides and word processors.
- How accurate is the reading time?
- Reading time uses 225 words per minute (silent reading at average adult pace). Actual reading speeds range from ~150 wpm (technical material) to ~400 wpm (light fiction skimmers). Treat the estimate as a rough guide.