What the counts mean
Words are counted by splitting your text on spaces and line breaks, the same way most editors do. Characters come in two flavours — with and without spaces — because different limits care about different things. A tweet counts every character; an essay limit usually means words.
Reading and speaking time
Reading time assumes an average adult pace of around 230 words per minute. Speaking time is slower, about 130 words per minute, which is roughly how fast people talk when presenting. Both are handy for sizing up a blog post, a speech, or a script before you commit.
Common limits worth knowing
A meta description for SEO is best kept under about 160 characters. A short blog post is often 500–800 words, while in-depth guides run past 1,500. University essays are usually set in words, not pages, which is exactly what this tool counts.
Frequently asked questions
How is a word counted?
Any run of characters separated by spaces or line breaks counts as one word, matching how word processors do it.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Everything is counted in your browser as you type. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Is this tool free?
Yes — free, no signup, nothing stored.