OnlineFreeToolBoxText Tools
Word Counter
About Word Counter
The Word Counter counts words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type. Paste or type any text and the counts update live, so you can see at a glance whether an essay, article, post or application meets a word limit. It also shows characters with and without spaces, which matters because different platforms and editors count differently.
Word limits are everywhere: university essays, job applications, social media bios, meta descriptions and article briefs. Guessing a count is risky when a limit is strict, and opening a word processor just to check is slow. This counter gives the numbers immediately, in the browser, without uploading your text.
How to use Word Counter
- Type or paste your text into the text area.
- Watch the counts update live as you type.
- Use “Copy text” to copy the text, or “Clear” to start again.
- Check words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences and paragraphs against your limit.
Why use Word Counter
It is the fastest way to check length without opening a document or sending your writing anywhere.
- Live counts — no button press needed; numbers change as you type.
- All the counts that matter — words, both character counts, sentences and paragraphs.
- Private by design — your text stays on your device.
Common uses
Common uses include checking an essay against a word limit, trimming a social media post to fit a character limit, reviewing a resume or cover letter for length, and counting words in an article before submitting it. Writers, students and editors use it daily, because length limits are common and guessing them wastes time.
Your privacy
Everything you type stays in your browser. It is not uploaded, saved or shared, which matters for drafts and unpublished writing.
Frequently asked questions
Does the counter update live?
Yes. Counts update as you type.
Does it count hyphenated words as one or two?
The counter treats words separated by spaces as separate words, which matches how most editors count. Hyphenated words joined without spaces count as one.
Why are there two character counts?
Some limits count spaces and some do not. Showing both means you can check against either rule without recounting.
Can I count a whole document?
Yes. Paste the full text in and the counter will count it all, however long it is.
Does it work for other languages?
It counts words, characters and sentences in the text you enter, whatever language it is written in, as long as words are separated by spaces and sentences end with punctuation.