A word counter sounds trivial until a deadline, a word limit or a speech timer depends on it. This one counts as you type — words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and lines — and adds the two figures writers actually plan with: how long the text takes to read, and how long it takes to say out loud.
How counting works here
A word is a run of letters or numbers; internal apostrophes and hyphens keep a word together, so “don't” and “well-known” each count once — the same convention as most editors and submission systems. A sentence ends at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines. The frequency table counts words case-insensitively, so “The” and “the” are the same word.
Reading and speaking time
Average adult silent reading runs near 200 words per minute; reading aloud for a speech, lesson or video is slower — about 130 wpm, slower still with pauses for effect. A 5-minute talk is therefore about 650 words, and a 10-minute presentation about 1,300. If your timing matters, rehearse once with a stopwatch: everyone has a personal pace, and the estimate is a starting point, not a promise.
Worked example
The sample text on this page — four sentences about the fox — counts as 23 words, 110 characters, 13 unique words, about 7 seconds to read silently and 11 seconds to say aloud. Paste your own draft and the same panel replaces it instantly.
How to use this tool
- Type or paste your text into the box — counting starts immediately.
- Read the totals across the top; watch the word count as you edit.
- Check the “Most used words” table to spot a word you are leaning on too hard.
- Use reading/speaking time to fit a talk, script or lesson to its slot.
- Use Clear to wipe the box and start something new.
Word limits in the real world
Common targets: school essays are usually set in round hundreds (500, 1,000, 2,000 words); a page of a typical novel holds about 250–300 words; a blog post that ranks well is often 1,000–2,000 words; a one-minute radio script is roughly 130 spoken words. Most systems allow ±10% around a stated limit — but check the rules before you rely on that.
How the reading and speaking times are estimated
The reading time above assumes 200 words per minute — the average adult silent-reading speed, and the same basis quoted with the results at the top of this page. Speaking is slower: presenters and narrators average around 130 words per minute once pauses are included, and this tool uses 130 for speaking everywhere. A 1,000-word script is therefore roughly an 8-minute talk (1,000 ÷ 130 ≈ 7.7 minutes), while the same 1,000 words read silently take about 5 minutes (1,000 ÷ 200).
Use the speaking estimate to plan presentations, video scripts and wedding speeches (a 5-minute speech is about 650 words — shorter than most people expect). Reading speeds vary with difficulty: technical or legal text is often read at half the average pace, so treat both figures as planning estimates, not guarantees.