Word Counter

Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time with keyword density analysis.

Tested tool guide Text and writing tools Checked July 30, 2026

What Word Counter does, with a checked example

This counter separates word-like sequences, counts visible Unicode characters, estimates sentence and paragraph totals, and reports reading and speaking time. It also lists repeated content words after excluding a small set of common short words. The result is a practical drafting aid, not a linguistic analysis of every language.

Worked example

A concrete input and expected output from the current implementation.

Input

Small tools save time. Clear tools save more time.

Expected output

9 words, 2 sentences, 1 paragraph

The repeated-keyword view lists tools, save, and time twice each. Punctuation is not counted as a word.

How the result is produced

Words are matched as Unicode letters and numbers

The counter recognizes letter and number sequences across scripts and permits internal apostrophes or hyphens. Language-specific compounds and scripts without spaces can still require a dedicated tokenizer.

Time estimates use explicit rates

Reading time is calculated at 200 words per minute and speaking time at 130 words per minute. They are planning estimates, not promises about an individual reader or presentation.

Good uses

Check an assignment, brief, or form against a word limit.
Estimate how long a draft takes to read aloud.
Spot accidentally repeated topic words before editing.

Limits and checks

Hyphenation and contractions can change counts between editors.
Keyword frequency does not measure relevance or writing quality.
Paste plain text when markup or hidden document content should not count.

Common questions

Why does another editor show a different word total?

Programs use different tokenization rules for hyphens, apostrophes, emoji, URLs, and scripts without spaces. Compare the rules when a formal limit is enforced by another system.

Are reading-time estimates exact?

No. Complexity, familiarity, accessibility needs, and purpose all affect pace. The displayed rate is a transparent planning baseline.

References and verification

The example and behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.