Word & Character Counter

We show both, because different limits mean different things. Twitter and SMS count every character including spaces. Some academic and form limits exclude them. Meta descriptions are usually measured with spaces included, which is why we surface both numbers rather than making you guess which one applies.

From an average silent reading speed of roughly 200–250 words per minute for adults reading general prose. Treat it as a rough guide: technical or unfamiliar material reads considerably slower, and skimming is much faster. It is most useful for comparing two drafts, less so as an absolute promise to readers.

Any sequence of characters separated by whitespace, which matches how Word and Google Docs count. Hyphenated terms like well-known count as one word, and numbers count as words. Small differences between tools usually come down to how each treats punctuation, symbols and line breaks in lists.

Yes, Word & Character Counter is completely free. No signup, no account, and no watermark on outputs. A Pro tier is available for 100 AI ops/day and larger file sizes.

Word & Character Counter runs entirely in your browser. Your file is never uploaded — it is read, processed and saved locally, so it never reaches our servers or anyone else's. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it still works.