Free Online Writing Tool

Word and Character Counter

Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and estimated reading time instantly. Everything runs inside your browser, so your text is not uploaded.

0Words
0Characters
0Characters without spaces
0Sentences
0Paragraphs
0 minEstimated reading time
0 minEstimated speaking time
Longest word
0Lines
0Unique Words
0Avg. Word Length
0Words / Sentence
Character limit:

What is a word and character counter?

A word and character counter is a writing utility that measures the length and structure of text. It is useful for essays, blog posts, YouTube descriptions, social media captions, resumes, product descriptions and any platform with a word or character limit.

What this tool counts

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool upload my text?

No. The counting happens locally in your browser.

How is reading time calculated?

The estimate uses an average reading speed of about 200 words per minute.

Does punctuation count as a character?

Yes. Character count includes letters, numbers, punctuation and spaces. A separate count excludes spaces.

How to use the counter

  1. Paste or type the text into the box above.
  2. Watch the word, character, sentence, paragraph, reading-time and speaking-time figures update as you edit.
  3. Use Copy Text when the final version is ready, or Clear to start again.

How ITFixLab counts your text

The tool counts letters and numbers grouped into words, including common apostrophes and hyphens inside a term. Character count includes spaces, punctuation and line breaks, while the separate no-space figure removes whitespace. Paragraphs are based on blocks separated by blank lines, and sentence count uses punctuation as a practical estimate.

Useful checks before submitting text elsewhere

For a form, application, caption, résumé field or content-management system, use this tool while drafting and then verify the final text in the destination itself. A platform may apply a different rule for URLs, emoji, line breaks, combined Unicode characters or hyphenated terms.

What the tool does not do

This page measures text structure; it does not judge grammar, originality, writing quality or whether a platform will accept the content. Reading and speaking times are estimates, not guarantees. If an official submission rule defines its own counting method, that rule should take priority.

Use word and character counts for real publishing limits

Word count is useful for essays, articles and assignments, while character count matters for forms, social posts, metadata, ads and fields with strict limits. Some services count spaces and punctuation as characters, while others apply their own rules, so treat the result here as a clear text count rather than a guarantee of another platform's limit.

Why counts can differ between tools

Different applications may treat hyphenated words, emojis, line breaks or special Unicode characters differently. If you are submitting to a portal with a hard limit, paste the final text into that portal and verify its own counter before submission.

Editing with the count in mind

When text is too long, remove repetition before cutting useful detail. Shortening phrases such as “in order to” to “to” can reduce length without weakening meaning. For very short descriptions, prioritize the main subject and action first.

Know what a character limit actually counts

Different platforms can count text differently. Spaces, line breaks, emoji and combined Unicode characters may be treated differently by an application even when they look like a single visible character. Use this counter for drafting, then confirm the final limit in the platform where the text will be submitted.

Words are also an estimate

Hyphenated terms, URLs, numbers and languages that do not separate words with spaces can produce different word counts across editors. For school, publishing or legal requirements, follow the counting method specified by the organisation.

Reading time

Estimated reading time is only a planning aid. Actual speed changes with technical difficulty, language, formatting and the reader.

Privacy

The counting happens in your browser. The page does not need to send the text to ITFixLab to calculate its length.

Working on YouTube content?

After checking script length or caption size here, you can use the YouTube Title Generator to explore title angles for the same topic.