Word counter
Paste or type your text to count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs instantly. Also shows reading time and checks common character limits.
Reading time: 0 sec · Speaking time: 0 sec
Character limits
- X (Twitter) post: 0 / 280
- Text message (one SMS): 0 / 160
- Google title (about): 0 / 60
- Meta description (about): 0 / 160
- YouTube title: 0 / 100
- Instagram caption: 0 / 2,200
- LinkedIn post: 0 / 3,000
- YouTube description: 0 / 5,000
Most used words
Repeated words (ignoring “the”, “and” and so on) show here.
What this word counter shows
- Words: anything separated by spaces that contains a letter or number.
- Characters: every letter, number, space and symbol, which is how X, SMS and most forms count. Without spaces is shown too, because some limits and translation quotes use it.
- Sentences end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Abbreviations like “e.g.” can add an extra one.
- Paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line.
- Most used words help you spot repetition in an essay or check the main keyword in a web page.
Common word counts
As a rough guide: a tweet is up to 280 characters, a typical school essay is 500–1,500 words, a blog post often runs 1,000–2,000 words, and a single-spaced page holds about 500 words. If you’re working to a limit set by a teacher, publisher or application form, always use their exact rules.
Writing for AI tools? See how many tokens your text uses with the ChatGPT token counter, or what it would cost with the AI cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter count words?
It counts groups of characters separated by spaces or line breaks that contain at least one letter or number, the same basic rule Microsoft Word uses. Hyphenated words like “well-known” count as one word, and stray symbols such as “–” or “&” don’t count.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. Counting happens in your browser as you type. Your text is never sent to FernTool or stored anywhere, so it is safe to paste essays, reports or private documents.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time assumes 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for non-fiction found in a 2019 review of 190 studies by Marc Brysbaert. Speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, a relaxed presentation pace. Your own speed may differ.
How many words is a page?
Roughly 500 words for a single-spaced page and 250 words double-spaced, using a 12-point font and normal margins. Fonts, spacing and headings change this a lot, so check your teacher’s or publisher’s exact rule.
Do spaces count as characters?
It depends where the limit comes from. X (Twitter), SMS and most social sites count spaces, so use the “characters” number. Some forms and translation quotes count characters without spaces, which is shown separately.