# Word Counter > Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and pages in real time — plus a readability checker (Flesch, Gunning Fog and more), a plain-English writing check, reading and speaking time, word frequency, and live character limits. - Page: https://linguaholic.com/tools/word-counter/ - Type: free online tool (Text tools), no sign-up, runs in the browser - Publisher: Linguaholic (https://linguaholic.com/), made by Marcel Iseli - Last updated: October 2, 2026 - Open it pre-filled: https://linguaholic.com/tools/word-counter/?text=The%20quick%20brown%20fox%20jumps%20over%20the%20lazy%20dog. - `text`: text to count (for example `The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.`) - `goal`: word goal to track progress against, 1 to 1000000 (for example `500`) ## What is a word counter? A **word counter** is a free online tool that tells you exactly how many words and characters your text contains. As you type or paste, it counts words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, paragraphs, and lines, and estimates reading time, speaking time, page count, and keyword density — all in real time. It is useful for essays, articles, social media posts, meta descriptions, cover letters, and any writing with a length limit. ## How to use this word counter 1. Type directly into the box above, or paste text you already have. 2. Every count updates instantly — there is no button to press. 3. Read the live totals, the extra stats (pages, lines, unique words), the **character-limit** panel, and the **top-words** (keyword density) panel. 4. Use **Clear** to start over or **Copy text** to grab your text again. ## Frequently asked questions **How does the word counter count words?** It counts a word as any sequence of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. Numbers, hyphenated words, and contractions each count as one word. The count updates instantly as you type or paste text. **Is my text sent to a server?** No. All counting happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device and is never stored or transmitted, so it is completely private. **How is reading time calculated?** Reading time is your word count divided by a reading speed — 200 words per minute by default, a widely used average for adults reading English silently. You can switch to slow (150), fast (250), or skimming (300) words per minute. Speaking time works the same way, at 130 words per minute by default. **How many words is a 5-minute speech?** At a presentation pace of about 130 words per minute, a 5-minute speech is roughly 650 words. Slow speakers (100 wpm) need about 500 words and fast, conversational speakers (160 wpm) about 800. Set the speaking speed in the tool to see the time for your own text. **How does the readability checker work?** It scores your text with six standard formulas — Flesch reading ease, Flesch–Kincaid grade level, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman–Liau, and the Automated Readability Index — and averages the grade levels into one result. Syllables are counted with a 50,000-word pronouncing dictionary, which makes the scores more accurate than spelling-based estimates. Scores are most reliable for 100 words or more. **What is a good Flesch reading ease score?** For general audiences, aim for 60–70 (plain English), which most 13- to 15-year-olds can read easily. Scores of 80 and above are very easy; scores under 30 are best suited to academic or specialist readers. **Can it find passive voice and long sentences?** Yes. The Writing check tab highlights sentences of 20+ and 30+ words, passive voice, adverbs, filler words such as 'very' and 'really', and wordy phrases with simpler alternatives like 'utilize' → 'use'. Hover or tap a highlight to see why it was flagged. **Does it count characters with or without spaces?** Both. The tool shows characters including spaces and characters excluding spaces separately, so you can use whichever your assignment, form, or platform requires. **Can I use the word counter for essays and social media limits?** Yes. It is useful for essay and assignment word limits, meta descriptions, and social media character limits such as posts and bios. The tool shows a live character-limits panel for X (Twitter), Instagram, SMS, SEO titles, and meta descriptions so you can see how many characters you have left. **How many pages is my word count?** As a rough guide, one single-spaced page holds about 500 words and one double-spaced page about 250 words, at 12pt in a standard font. This tool shows an approximate page count based on 500 words per page. Actual pages depend on font, size, spacing, and margins. **What is keyword density and how is it measured?** Keyword density is how often a word appears relative to the total word count. The tool lists your most-used words (ignoring common filler words like 'the' and 'and') with their count and percentage, and the Word frequency tab shows every word or 2- and 3-word phrase, which you can download as a CSV file. **How do I count words in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean?** Languages such as Chinese and Japanese do not separate words with spaces, so for these scripts the character count is usually the meaningful measure rather than the word count. Use the 'Characters' figure when counting CJK text. **Does it count words in a PDF or Google Doc?** Yes — copy the text from your PDF, Google Doc, or Word document and paste it into the box. The counts update instantly. Because everything runs in your browser, the pasted content is never uploaded anywhere. ## Data sources Syllable counts for the readability scores come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. 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