Utility
Word & Character Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time, with live limits for X, SEO, and more.
Platform limits
- X / Twitter post280 left / 280
- Meta title60 left / 60
- Meta description160 left / 160
- WhatsApp status700 left / 700
- Instagram caption2,200 left / 2200
About this tool
This word counter tallies words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs as you type, and estimates reading time - so writers, students, and social-media managers can hit a target length without guessing. It also tracks the character limits of popular platforms in real time, showing exactly how many characters you have left for a tweet, a meta description, or a WhatsApp status.
Who uses a word counter
- Students - meet essay and assignment word counts precisely.
- SEO writers - keep meta titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 160 so they don't get truncated in Google.
- Social media managers - stay within the 280-character X limit or trim an Instagram caption before posting.
- Copywriters & applicants - fit ad copy, bios, and form fields into tight limits.
How the counts work
Words are counted by splitting on spaces and line breaks, so hyphenated terms count as one word. Characters include spaces; a separate count excludes them for fields that ignore whitespace. Reading time assumes an average pace of about 200 words per minute. Everything updates instantly and runs in your browser - your text is never uploaded or stored.
Tips for writing to a limit
- Front-load the important words in titles and captions in case they get cut off.
- For SEO, aim for a 50–60 character title and a 150–160 character description.
- Shorter sentences raise readability - watch the sentence count climb as you split long ones.
Need to fix the casing of your text too? Pair this with the Case Converter.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
The tool splits your text on spaces and line breaks, then counts the non-empty chunks. Hyphenated words like "well-known" count as a single word.
Does the character count include spaces?
There are two counts: one includes spaces (what most platforms measure) and one excludes them, for fields that ignore whitespace.
What are the platform limits shown?
Common limits people write to: X/Twitter posts (280), SEO meta titles (~60) and descriptions (~160), WhatsApp status (700), and Instagram captions (2,200). The tool shows how many characters you have left for each.
How is reading time calculated?
It divides the word count by an average reading speed of 200 words per minute and rounds to the nearest minute.
Is there a limit on how much text I can paste?
No practical limit - paste an entire essay or article. Everything is counted instantly in your browser.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. All counting happens locally in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.
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