Word & Character Counter
A free online word and character counter. Paste or type below to see word count, character count, sentences, paragraphs, and estimated reading time update instantly — plus how much room you have left for a tweet, text message, or meta description. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Platform limits
How the numbers are calculated
Words are counted by trimming the text and splitting on whitespace. Reading time assumes 200 words per minute (average adult silent reading speed); speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, closer to a natural spoken pace.
Character counts include everything you type — letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces — since that's what platforms like Twitter/X and SMS actually count against their limits.
How many words is that many characters?
Average English words run about 4.7 letters, so with the space after each word a good rule of thumb is one word per 6 characters. It's an estimate: plain conversational writing lands nearer 5 characters a word, while technical or academic prose can pass 7.
| Characters | Approx. words | Where you'll meet it |
|---|---|---|
| 140 | 20–25 | The original tweet limit (before 2017) |
| 160 | 25–30 | One SMS; a meta description |
| 280 | 40–50 | An X (Twitter) post |
| 300 | 45–55 | A short bio or profile summary |
| 500 | 80–90 | A short-answer form field |
| 1,000 | 150–180 | A longer application answer |
| 2,200 | 350–400 | An Instagram caption |
When the limit is strict, don't rely on the estimate: paste the text above and watch the character count, or see the full list of social media character limits.
How to count words or characters in Microsoft Word
Word keeps a live word count in the status bar along the bottom of the window. Click it — or open the Review tab and choose Word Count — for the full breakdown, including characters with and without spaces, paragraphs, and lines. On Word for the web and the mobile apps the same figure sits under the Review menu. When you only need to check a snippet, or Word isn't open, paste the text into the box above and you get every count instantly.
How to count characters in Excel
Excel has no built-in word counter, but a formula does the job. For the
character count of a cell, use =LEN(A1) — it counts spaces
too. For a word count of a cell that contains text, use
=LEN(TRIM(A1))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))+1, which counts the
gaps between words and adds one. To count a whole passage rather than
writing a formula per cell, copy the cells and paste them into the counter
above.
How to count words in a PDF or the Notes app
Neither a typical PDF viewer nor Apple's Notes app shows a word count, and the fastest fix is the same for both: select all the text (Ctrl/Cmd + A), copy it, and paste it into the box above. You get words, characters, sentences, and reading time with no add-on or export. For a scanned PDF with no selectable text you'd first need to run it through OCR, since there are no real characters to count yet.
From word count to minutes
The tool also turns your word count into minutes: reading time at 200 words per minute and speaking time at about 130 words per minute. That second figure is the useful one for a speech, presentation, or video script — a 1,300-word script runs roughly ten minutes spoken aloud. Both estimates update as you type. Working with a script or subtitles? The duplicate-line remover, the line sorter, and the other text tools run entirely in your browser too.
Frequently asked questions
How is word count calculated?
Text is trimmed and split on whitespace, so runs of spaces, tabs, or line breaks between words only count as one separator. A single word with no spaces still counts as 1 word; an empty box counts as 0.
Does the character count include spaces?
We show both. "Characters" counts every character including spaces and line breaks — the number most platforms (Twitter/X, SMS, meta descriptions) actually enforce. "Characters (no spaces)" strips whitespace out, which is closer to what some word-processor tools report.
How is reading time estimated?
Using an average adult silent reading speed of 200 words per minute — words ÷ 200, rounded up to the nearest minute. Speaking time uses roughly 130 words per minute, closer to a comfortable spoken pace for presentations or video scripts.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything here runs in your browser with plain JavaScript — nothing you type is ever sent to a server, logged, or stored. Refreshing the page clears it.
What counts as a sentence or a paragraph?
Sentences are counted by splitting on '.', '!', and '?'. Paragraphs are counted as blocks of text separated by a blank line — a single block of text with no blank lines counts as one paragraph regardless of how many line breaks it contains.
How many words are in 140, 280, or 300 characters?
Roughly one word for every 6 characters, counting the space after each word. So 140 characters is about 20–25 words, 280 characters about 40–50 words, and 300 characters about 45–55 words. Short everyday words push the count up and long technical words pull it down, so paste your actual text above for the exact figure.
Does Microsoft Word count characters?
Yes. The status bar at the bottom of the window shows only the word count, but clicking it (or opening Review → Word Count) shows characters with and without spaces, paragraphs, and lines. If Word isn't open or you only need to check part of a document, paste the text into the box above for the same counts instantly.
How do I count characters in Excel?
Excel has no word-count command, but =LEN(A1) gives the character count of a cell including spaces, and =LEN(TRIM(A1))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))+1 gives its word count. To count a whole passage instead of writing a formula per cell, copy the cells and paste them into the counter above.
How do I count words in a PDF?
A PDF viewer doesn't display a word count. Select the text (Ctrl or Cmd + A), copy it, and paste it into the box above to get words, characters, and reading time. If the text can't be selected, the PDF is a scanned image and needs OCR first, because there are no real characters in it yet.
Related reading
- Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn Character Limits in 2026
A quick reference table of current limits, plus why emoji count double on some platforms.