Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and reading time as you type.
Your text is counted inside your own browser and is never uploaded or stored on a server; the only thing remembered is your reading-speed setting, which stays on this device.
Counting words is only simple in languages that put spaces between them. This counter uses Intl.Segmenter, the word segmentation built into your browser, which finds word boundaries the way each language actually defines them rather than by looking for gaps. That matters most for Chinese, Japanese and Thai, which do not separate words with spaces at all: splitting those on whitespace can report a single word for an entire paragraph.
More about Word Counter
Alongside words you get characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines and an estimated reading time. Characters are counted as code points, so an emoji counts as one character rather than two. A blank line starts a new paragraph, and a run of several blank lines does not add extra ones. Reading time is adjustable: pick 150, 238 or 300 words per minute depending on whether the text is being studied, read at a normal pace or skimmed, and your choice is remembered the next time you visit.
Everything updates as you type, with nothing to submit. Text above roughly 200 KB is counted on a background thread so the page stays responsive while you work, and a single input can be up to 2 MB.
- Words are found with Intl.Segmenter, which respects the word boundaries each language actually defines.
- Chinese, Japanese and Thai are counted properly instead of being split on spaces.
- Characters, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines are all reported.
- Characters are counted as code points, so an emoji counts as one.
- Reading time can be set to 150, 238 or 300 words per minute, and the setting is remembered.
- Counts update as you type, with no button to press.
- Long texts are counted on a background thread so typing stays smooth.
- The whole set of statistics can be copied as plain text in one click.
How to use it
- 1Paste or type your text into the box.
- 2Watch the counts above the box update as you go; nothing needs to be submitted.
- 3Change the reading speed if the default of 238 words per minute does not suit your text.
- 4Read the statistics you need: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, lines and reading time.
- 5Copy the full set of statistics with the copy button, or clear the box to start again.
Questions
Does it count Chinese characters correctly?
Yes. Word counting uses Intl.Segmenter rather than splitting on spaces, so Chinese and Japanese text produces a real word count, and the character count is reported separately alongside it.
Why does my count differ from a word processor?
Word processors apply their own rules to hyphens, numbers, URLs and scripts without spaces, so small differences are normal. This counter follows the Unicode segmentation rules your browser already implements.
How is reading time calculated?
The word count is divided by your chosen speed of 150, 238 or 300 words per minute, then rounded up to the next whole minute. Any text with at least one word shows at least one minute.
Is there a limit on how much text I can paste?
Yes, 2 MB, which is far longer than a full novel in plain text. Anything above about 200 KB is moved to a background thread so the page keeps responding while it counts.
Does the text I paste leave my browser?
No. The counting happens locally in the page, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.