What it counts

Words are runs of letters or numbers; “don’t” and “well-known” count as one word each. Characters include spaces and line breaks, which is how most sites count a post’s length; without spaces leaves them out.

Reading time assumes about 238 words a minute, a typical adult silent-reading speed. Speaking time assumes 150 words a minute, a comfortable pace for a talk or a speech.

Set a limit to see how much room is left, for example 280 characters for a short social post or 300 words for an essay answer.

Questions

Is my text saved or sent anywhere? It’s kept in this browser so you don’t lose a draft if you close the tab. Nothing is uploaded. Press Clear to remove it.

Why is my count different from my word processor? Tools disagree on things like numbers, dashes and web addresses. The difference is usually only a few words.