What is a Word Counter?
A word counter is a free online tool that counts words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in any text — helping writers, students, marketers, and professionals meet precise length requirements and improve content clarity.
Whether you're writing essays, blog posts, social media captions, academic papers, or marketing copy, our word counter gives you instant, accurate statistics to stay within limits and optimize readability.
Unlike basic counters, our tool supports multiple input methods — paste plain text, paste rich content from ChatGPT or Google Docs, or upload .txt, .docx, and .pdf files — and counts automatically as you type.
Why Use Our Word Counter?
Word count is critical for academic assignments, blog SEO, social media character limits, resume formatting, and professional documents. Accurate counting helps you meet requirements without manual tallying or guesswork.
Our word counter tool goes beyond just counting words — it tracks characters (with and without spaces), sentences, and paragraphs. This makes it ideal for Twitter/X posts (280 characters), meta descriptions (160 characters), LinkedIn posts, Google Ads headlines, and more.
Built for speed and convenience, the tool counts in real-time as you type, supports rich paste from any editor, and handles file uploads — saving you time and ensuring precision every time.
Key Features
Word Count
Accurate word counting for essays, articles, reports, and content creation. Ideal for meeting academic requirements, blog post targets, and editorial guidelines.
Character Count (With & Without Spaces)
Track total characters and characters without spaces — essential for Twitter, meta descriptions, SMS messages, and platforms with strict character limits.
Sentence & Paragraph Count
Monitor sentence and paragraph counts to improve readability and structure. Great for ensuring balanced content flow and avoiding overly long paragraphs.
Multiple Input Methods
Paste plain text, rich content from ChatGPT or Google Docs, or upload .txt, .docx, and .pdf files. Text is automatically extracted and counted instantly.
Real-Time Counting
See live updates as you type or edit. No need to click a button — statistics refresh automatically with every keystroke.
Manual Refresh Option
Prefer control? Use the manual refresh button to recount on demand while still enjoying auto-counting in the background.
How to Use the Word Counter
- Choose your input method: Paste Text (plain text), Rich Paste (formatted content from ChatGPT, Docs, etc.), or Upload (.txt, .docx, .pdf files).
- Paste or upload your content. Text is automatically extracted from rich content and files.
- Statistics update instantly as you type or edit — word count, character count, sentences, and paragraphs appear in real-time.
- Use the manual Refresh button if you want to recount on demand.
- Review your statistics and adjust your content to meet length requirements or improve readability.
When to Use a Word Counter
Academic Writing
Meet essay, thesis, and assignment word count requirements. Stay within professor guidelines and avoid penalties for under- or over-length submissions.
Content Marketing & SEO
Optimize blog posts for SEO (1,500+ words for long-form), craft meta descriptions under 160 characters, and write compelling social media captions.
Social Media Posts
Stay within character limits for Twitter/X (280), LinkedIn posts (3,000), Instagram captions (2,200), and Facebook posts for optimal engagement.
Professional Documents
Keep resumes to one page (400-600 words), craft concise cover letters, and ensure reports meet client or company specifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the word count?+
Very accurate. Our word counter splits text on whitespace and filters empty strings, matching the counting method used by Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and most professional editors.
Does it count hyphenated words as one or two words?+
Hyphenated words (like "twenty-one" or "state-of-the-art") are counted as one word, consistent with standard word processing software.
Can I upload Word documents (.docx) and PDFs?+
Yes! Upload .txt, .docx, and .pdf files directly. For .docx and .pdf files, the current version prompts you to copy-paste content for now, but we're working on full automatic extraction in a future update.
Is my content stored or shared?+
No. All counting happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device and is never sent to any server.
What's the difference between characters and characters without spaces?+
Characters includes all characters — letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces. Characters without spaces excludes all whitespace, giving you just the visible text length. Different platforms count differently (e.g., some SMS systems count without spaces).
Ready to count your content? Use the free word counter above to get instant, accurate statistics for any text.