Free Word Counter
Paste or type your text to instantly count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time. No signup required.
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Excluding spaces
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Ending with . ! ?
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Separated by blank line
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At 200 words per minute
Top 10 most frequent words will appear here once you start typing.
Why Word Count Matters for SEO
Content length is one of the most reliable predictors of search ranking. Google rewards pages that thoroughly cover a topic — and length is a proxy for depth.
An analysis of the top 10 Google results found that long-form content averaging 2,000+ words ranks higher for informational queries. Google's recommended content length varies by search intent — matching the depth of competitors is the single fastest lever you can pull.
Depth Signals Authority
Longer content earns more backlinks, social shares, and dwell time — all signals Google uses to evaluate page quality.
Platform Character Limits
Meta descriptions, title tags, tweets, and ad copy all have hard limits. Exceed them and your message gets truncated — or rejected entirely.
- Match competitor content depth before hitting publish
- Stay within platform limits for social and ad copy
- Estimate reading time to reduce bounce rate on long posts
Top words
How to Use the Word Counter
Get your word count and writing stats in seconds — no account, no install, no friction.
Paste or Type Your Text
Drop your article, essay, social post, or any text into the editor. Stats update instantly as you type — no button to click.
Review Your Stats
See words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time in real time. Use the Top Words table to spot overused terms and thin keyword density.
Optimize Before Publishing
Adjust your content to hit your target word count, stay within platform limits, or improve keyword distribution — all before you publish.
Built for Every Kind of Writer
Whether you are hitting a word count requirement or staying under a character limit, this tool has you covered.
Bloggers
Hit your target word count and check reading time before publishing — so readers know what they are in for.
Students
Meet assignment word limits precisely. No more guessing — know exactly where you stand as you write.
Copywriters
Stay within ad and landing page word counts. Tight copy requires knowing exactly how many words you have used.
Social Media Managers
Draft posts within platform limits for Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn before copying into the app.
What Writers Are Saying
Real feedback from real users who use this daily.
I write 3 blog posts a week and this is open in a pinned tab. The reading time estimate alone has helped me cut bounce rate — readers know what they're getting into.
My professors always give strict word count ranges. This tool is way faster than Word's counter and I can use it anywhere — even on my phone.
The Top Words feature is underrated. I caught that I'd used the word 'leverage' 14 times in one article. Never again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the word counter count words?
Words are counted by splitting your text on whitespace. Any sequence of non-whitespace characters separated by a space, tab, or newline is treated as one word. This matches how most publishers and platforms (Google Docs, Microsoft Word) calculate word count.
What is a good word count for SEO?
Google's recommended content length varies by search intent. For informational queries, long-form content of 2,000+ words consistently ranks higher because it signals comprehensive coverage of a topic. For transactional pages, 300–600 words focused on the conversion action is typically optimal. There is no universal number — match the depth of the top-ranking pages for your target keyword.
Why does reading time matter for content?
Reading time is calculated at 200 words per minute — the average adult reading speed. Showing estimated reading time in your articles reduces bounce rate because readers know what they are committing to before they start. Studies show content with a displayed reading time gets 2–3× more average time-on-page.
What are the character limits I should know about?
Key limits: Google title tags should be under 60 characters, meta descriptions under 160 characters, tweets are capped at 280 characters, and Instagram bios at 150 characters. SMS messages are 160 characters per segment. Staying within these limits ensures your content displays properly without truncation.
How is this different from the word count in Google Docs?
The core word count is identical, but this tool adds real-time paragraph counting, reading time estimation, and a top-word frequency table that shows which terms you are over- or under-using — useful for checking keyword density before publishing.
Count Words.
Then Write Less.
LazySEO automatically generates SEO-optimized articles at the ideal word count for your target keyword — researched, written, and published on autopilot.
No credit card required