Quick answer
How do I count the words in my text?
Paste your text into the word counter above and it instantly shows the number of words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and reading time. A 1,000-word essay takes about 4 minutes to read and about 7 minutes to say aloud.
- Reading speed: about 238 words a minute
- Speaking speed: about 150 words a minute
- Limits: X post 280 · Instagram caption 2,200 · meta description 160
How many words should common pieces of writing have?
- Blog post: 1,000–2,000 words for in-depth topics
- College application essay: often 250–650 words
- Cover letter: about 250–400 words
- Meta description: 120–160 characters
How does the word counter count words and characters?
A word is any run of letters or numbers, in any script. Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages count the same way as English. A hyphenated word like “well-known” or a contraction like “it’s” counts as one word, and a number such as 2026 counts as a word too.
- Characters: shown with and without spaces, so you can match whichever rule a form or platform uses.
- Sentences: counted at each full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or purna viram (।). An abbreviation such as “Dr.” also ends a sentence here, so the count can run slightly high.
- Paragraphs: counted wherever you leave a blank line.
You can also switch your text to UPPERCASE, lowercase, Title Case or Sentence case, and copy it with one tap.
How is reading time calculated?
The word counter divides your word count by an average pace. Silent reading is about 238 words a minute and speaking aloud is about 150.
A 1,500-word article takes about 6.3 minutes to read and 10 minutes to say aloud. If you are timing a speech, leave a little room for pauses.
What are the character limits for Instagram, X and SEO?
| Where | Limit (characters) |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 |
| Instagram bio | 150 |
| SEO title | 60 |
| Meta description | 160 |
| SMS | 160 |
Keyword density shows how often your most-used words appear as a share of all words. If “loan” appears 3 times in 100 words, its density is 3%. A high figure usually means you can swap in a synonym.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
At a typical speaking pace of about 150 words a minute, a 5-minute speech is roughly 750 words.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes at the average adult silent reading speed of around 238 words a minute.
Does the word counter work for Hindi?
Yes. It counts words in any language, including Hindi and other Indian scripts, and treats the purna viram (।) as the end of a sentence.
What is the character limit for an Instagram caption?
Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters and bios up to 150. X (Twitter) posts are limited to 280 characters for standard accounts.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. Your text stays in your browser. The tool only remembers your last draft on this device so you don’t lose it if you refresh.
Does the word counter count numbers and hyphenated words?
Yes. Plain numbers such as 2026 count as words, and a hyphenated word like “well-known” or a contraction like “isn’t” counts as one word.
What is keyword density?
It’s how often a word appears as a share of all the words in your text. The counter lists your most-used words, ignoring common ones like “the” and “and”, so you can spot repetition.