Math
Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, unique words, and top keywords in any text. Includes reading time, speaking time, vocabulary richness score, and writing goal tracker.
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Word Count Guide by Content Type
| Content Type | Word Count | Read Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tweet / X post | < 45 words | < 30s |
| Instagram caption | < 125 words | < 1 min |
| News article | 400–800 words | 2–3 min |
| Blog post (SEO optimal) | 1,500–2,500 words | 6–10 min |
| College / Common App essay | 500–650 words | ~3 min |
| Academic paper | 3,000–8,000 words | 13–34 min |
| Short story | 1,000–7,500 words | 4–31 min |
| Novel | 80,000–100,000 words | 5.6–7 hrs |
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I count words in a text?
Paste or type your text into the box above and the word count updates instantly. Words are counted by splitting text on whitespace — any sequence of characters separated by spaces, tabs, or line breaks counts as one word. Hyphenated words (well-being) count as one word. Numbers count as words.
What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?
Characters with spaces counts every single character including spaces, tabs, and line breaks — this is what most social media platforms use for character limits (Twitter/X's 280-character limit, for example). Characters without spaces counts only non-whitespace characters, which is what some publishing and academic submission systems use. Both counts are shown instantly above.
How many words is a 5-minute read?
At the average adult reading speed of 238 wpm, a 5-minute read = 238 × 5 = 1,190 words. At 200 wpm: 1,000 words. At 300 wpm: 1,500 words. For a 5-minute speech or presentation at 130 wpm: 650 words. This is why a typical 5-minute TED Talk script is roughly 650 words.
How many words are in a page?
Word count per page varies by format: a standard paperback novel = ~250–300 words/page. A double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman document = ~250 words/page (common for academic submissions). A single-spaced A4 document = ~500 words/page. A magazine page = ~500–800 words/page. A children's picture book = 500–1,000 words total.
What is vocabulary richness and why does it matter?
Vocabulary richness (also called Type-Token Ratio or TTR) measures what percentage of your words are unique. A score of 100% means every word appears exactly once (rare in long texts). 40–60% is typical for well-written articles. Lower scores can indicate repetitive writing. Shorter texts naturally have higher richness. The score is calculated as: unique words ÷ total words × 100.
What is keyword density and how is it calculated?
Keyword density is the percentage of times a specific word appears relative to the total word count: Density = (keyword occurrences ÷ total words) × 100. For SEO, a keyword density of 1–3% for your target keyword is generally considered optimal. Above 5–7% may be seen as keyword stuffing by search engines. The 'Top Words' section shows the density of your most frequent meaningful words.
What is the ideal word count for different content types?
Recommended word counts: Tweet = under 280 characters (~45 words). Instagram caption = under 125 words (optimal engagement). Blog post = 1,500–2,500 words (best for SEO). News article = 400–800 words. Academic essay = follows assignment requirements (typically 500–5,000 words). Novel = 80,000–100,000 words. Short story = 1,000–7,500 words. Children's picture book = 500–1,000 words.