Word Counter
Paste your text to count words and characters, and see how long it takes to read and to say aloud. Chinese and Japanese are counted by character, so the count is right for them too.
words
0
speaking time
0 sec
at 140 wpm
- characters
- 0
- without spaces
- 0
- sentences
- 0
- paragraphs
- 0
- reading time
- 0 sec
- avg. word length
- —
Reading time assumes 238 words per minute, a typical silent reading speed for English.
time to say it aloud
- Slow · 110 wpm0 sec
- Average · 140 wpm0 sec
- Fast · 170 wpm0 sec
Not sure of your pace? Measure it with the speaking speed test.
character limit
280
characters left
X counts links as 23 characters and CJK characters as two, so treat this as a close estimate.
top keywords
Words you repeat show up here, leaving out common words like “the” and “and”.
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Word count is a time budget
For a speech, a video script or a voicemail greeting, the word count matters because it tells you how long you will talk. Most people speak at 110 to 170 words per minute, so the same script can run a minute short or a minute long. Check your own pace with the speaking speed test and use the matching row here.
- 01
Paste your text
Type or paste anything. Counts update as you write, and the text stays if you refresh.
- 02
Read the times
Reading time at 238 words per minute, and speaking time at slow, average and fast pace.
- 03
Check the limit
Pick X, Instagram, SMS or meta description to see how many characters you have left.
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Common questions
How long does it take to say 1,000 words?
About 7 minutes at an average speaking pace of 140 words per minute. A slow, careful speaker at 110 words per minute takes about 9 minutes; a fast one at 170 takes about 6. Paste your text above to get the time for your exact word count.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
Roughly 550 to 850 words, depending on pace: 550 at a slow 110 words per minute, 700 at an average 140, and 850 at a fast 170. Plan for the lower end if you will pause for slides, laughter or questions.
How are Chinese and Japanese words counted?
Chinese and Japanese are written without spaces between words, so counting spaces gives nonsense. This counter counts each Han, Hiragana and Katakana character as one word, which is the usual convention for these languages. Korean puts spaces between words, so it is counted the same way as English.
Do spaces count as characters?
It depends on where the limit comes from. X, Instagram, SMS and most form fields count spaces, so use the “characters” figure. Some school and publishing guidelines ask for characters without spaces, which is shown separately.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
Your text never leaves your device. It is counted in your browser and kept in this browser’s local storage so a page refresh does not lose it. Press Clear to remove it.
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Written it? Now say it in another language
OmniTalk translates what you say out loud, live, in 60+ languages on iPhone — and works offline too. Practise your talk here, then deliver it to someone who speaks something else.
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