Count words, characters
& reading time instantly
Real-time word counter for writers, students, bloggers, and SEO professionals. Paste or type any text to instantly see word count, character count, sentences, paragraphs, reading time, speaking time, and keyword density.
| # | Word | Count | Density | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start typing to see keyword analysis… | ||||
About the Word Counter — Real-Time Text Analysis Tool
This free word counter gives you instant, real-time statistics on any text you type or paste. Unlike basic character counters, it goes far beyond a simple word count — providing character count with and without spaces, sentence and paragraph counts, average words per sentence, estimated reading time, speaking time, and a full keyword frequency and density analysis.
All processing happens entirely in your browser. Your text is never sent to a server, stored, or analysed remotely. This makes the tool completely private and usable offline once the page has loaded.
Who Uses a Word Counter?
How Reading Time and Speaking Time Are Calculated
The reading time estimate is based on an average adult silent reading speed of 200 words per minute (wpm). This is a well-established benchmark from reading research, though individual speeds vary widely — fast readers may reach 300–400 wpm, while reading complex academic texts may slow you to 100 wpm.
The speaking time estimate uses a rate of 130 words per minute, which reflects a natural, comfortable speaking pace for presentations and speeches. Rapid conversational speech can reach 160–200 wpm, while deliberate, formal speech — such as a TED Talk — tends to fall at 110–130 wpm.
Speaking Time = Word Count ÷ 130 (minutes)
Example: 1,000 words → 5 min reading · 7 min 42 sec speaking
Example: 500 words → 2 min 30 sec reading · 3 min 51 sec speaking
Common Word Count Targets by Content Type
| Content Type | Target Word Count | Est. Reading Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tweet / X post | Up to ~70 words | < 1 min |
| SMS / text message | Up to ~30 words | < 1 min |
| Email subject line | 6–10 words | < 1 min |
| Meta description (SEO) | 20–25 words | < 1 min |
| Blog post (short) | 500–800 words | 3–4 min |
| Blog post (standard) | 1,000–1,500 words | 5–8 min |
| In-depth article / pillar content | 2,000–4,000 words | 10–20 min |
| Short story | 1,000–7,500 words | 5–38 min |
| Novella | 20,000–40,000 words | 1.7–3.3 hrs |
| Novel | 70,000–100,000 words | 5.8–8.3 hrs |
| 5-minute speech | ~650 words | ~3 min 15 sec |
| 10-minute speech | ~1,300 words | ~6 min 30 sec |
What Is Keyword Density and Why Does It Matter?
Keyword density is the percentage of times a specific word or phrase appears relative to the total number of words in a piece of content. It is a fundamental metric in SEO (search engine optimisation) and is used to evaluate whether a page is likely to rank for a given search term.
A keyword density of 1–3% is generally considered appropriate for SEO. Below 1% and a keyword may not feature prominently enough for search engines to associate the page with that term. Above 3–4% and the content risks being flagged for keyword stuffing — a spammy technique that can lead to Google penalties and poor user experience.
Example: "conversion" appears 8 times in a 400-word article
Density = (8 ÷ 400) × 100 = 2.0% — within the healthy range
The keyword table in this word counter automatically excludes common stop words (the, and, is, of, to, etc.) and short words under 3 characters to surface the meaningful, content-specific terms in your text.
Frequently Asked Questions
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