Free Word Counter
Paste or type your text to count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you write. Reading and speaking time update live.
Runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
Runs in your browser. Your text isn't uploaded or stored.
How to use the free word counter
- 01
Paste or type your text in the box.
- 02
Read the counts as they update: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs.
- 03
Use the reading and speaking time to plan articles, scripts and talks.
How many words should you write?
It depends on the job. Meta descriptions fit in about 25 words, social posts in 40–80, and a blog post that answers a search query well is usually 1,000–2,000 words. Essays and assignments set their own limits, so count as you go.
For SEO there's no magic word count. Google ranks the page that answers the question best. Check how long the pages ranking for your keyword are with our ideal blog post length tool, then write as much as the topic needs.
Tips for using the word counter
Set a target before you write
Check how long the pages ranking for your keyword are with the ideal blog post length calculator, then write toward that range instead of padding at the end.
Watch sentence length
If your average sentence runs past 20 words, readers struggle. Split long sentences, then confirm with the readability checker.
Count what Google sees
Menus and footers don't count toward your content. Count the article body only when you compare against competitors.
Cut repetition, not substance
When you need to trim, look for repeated phrases first. The word frequency counter shows which words you lean on most.
Skip the manual work: get an article published to your site every day.
Rankfly finds the keywords your site can actually win, writes a full SEO article for each one, adds images, and publishes it to WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Wix and more. Enter your website to see your free 30-day content plan.
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Word Counter FAQ
Is my text stored anywhere?
No. The counting runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to Rankfly or anyone else.
How is reading time calculated?
At 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed found across studies. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a typical presentation pace.
Does it count hyphenated words as one?
Yes. "Well-known" and "don't" count as one word each, the way Microsoft Word and Google Docs count them.
How many words is a 5-minute read?
About 1,200 words at the average silent reading speed of 238 words per minute.
How many words should a blog post be for SEO?
There's no fixed number. Many ranking posts are 1,000–2,000 words, but the right length depends on the keyword; measure the top results for yours.
Does the word counter work for other languages?
Yes. It counts words in any language that separates words with spaces, including accented letters. Chinese and Japanese text, which doesn't use spaces, isn't counted accurately.
Related free SEO tools
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Readability Checker
Get your Flesch reading ease, grade level and five other readability scores, plus the long sentences that make your text hard to read.
Passive Voice Checker
Paste your writing to highlight sentences in the passive voice, like "the report was written by the team", and see what share of your text is passive.
Headline Analyzer
Type a headline to score it on length, power and emotional words, numbers and format, and see if it fits in Google's search results.
Title Case Converter
Paste a headline or a list of titles and convert them to Title Case, Sentence case, UPPERCASE or lowercase, with small words handled the way style guides do it.
Reading Time Calculator
Paste your text to see how long it takes to read silently, read aloud and present, based on average reading and speaking speeds.
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