Free online word and character counter
Paste text to count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs instantly.
Word and character counter
How word counting works
Words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs
Words are counted by splitting text at whitespace. Character totals include spaces and punctuation; the no-space total excludes whitespace. Sentence counting uses common punctuation, so results can differ from specialist editors for abbreviations or unusual formatting.
How to use a word and character counter
Paste or type your text into the box and review the live totals. Word count is useful for essays, articles, application responses, and social posts. Character count can help when a form or platform imposes a length limit. Clear the box when you want to start a new count.
What each count means
Words are estimated by separating text at whitespace. Characters include letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces; the no-space total excludes whitespace. Sentence totals use common punctuation, while paragraph totals are based on separate blocks of text. Different editors may apply different counting rules.
Tips for accurate writing limits
Check the exact rules of the destination: some services count line breaks, emojis, URLs, or special characters differently. If a strict word limit applies, leave a small margin and review the pasted text in the final form. This tool provides a quick estimate rather than a guarantee that another platform will show the same total.
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