# What is my word count?

A word count calculator: paste a text to count its words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs, and see how long it takes to read or say.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/everyday-life/word-counter
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/everyday-life/word-counter.json
- Version: d881f82243a8

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Your text Paste your text here to count its words. The counter also finds the characters, sentences and paragraphs, and how long the text takes to read. A new line starts a new paragraph. Numbers such as 2026 count as words, and so do well-known words joined by a hyphen.): Word count: 48; characters: 261; reading time: about 12 s.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| t | Your text | Paste or type the text to count. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| words | Words | Runs of letters or digits. |
| characters | Characters | Every character, spaces included; line breaks are not counted, as in word processors. |
| noSpaces | Characters without spaces | Every character except spaces, tabs and line breaks. |
| sentences | Sentences | Pieces of text that end at . ! or ? and hold a word. |
| paragraphs | Paragraphs | Lines that hold at least one word. |
| reading | Reading time | Words ÷ 238 words a minute, silent reading. |
| speaking | Speaking time | Words ÷ 183 words a minute, reading aloud. |

## Method

Words are runs of letters or digits (an apostrophe or hyphen inside one keeps it whole); reading time = words ÷ 238 a minute; speaking time = words ÷ 183 a minute.

## Assumptions

- Numbers count as words; punctuation and symbols on their own do not. Line breaks are not characters.
- A sentence ends at . ! or ?, so an abbreviation such as “e.g.” or a decimal point also ends one.
- Reading and speaking times use average adult rates for English non-fiction.

## Worked examples

1. t = The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. gives words = 9, characters = 44, noSpaces = 36, sentences = 1, paragraphs = 1, reading = 2 s, speaking = 3 s. Source: Brysbaert, M. (2019). How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language, 109, 104047 (silent reading of English non-fiction 238 words a minute; reading aloud 183), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047 (retrieved 2026-10-03).
2. t = It’s well-known. Is it? Yes!
A second line, with 2026 in it. gives words = 12, sentences = 4, paragraphs = 2, characters = 59, noSpaces = 49.

## FAQ

### How does the word counter count words?

A word is a run of letters or digits. An apostrophe or a hyphen between two letters keeps a word whole, so “it’s” and “well-known” are one word each, and a number such as 2026 is a word. Punctuation and symbols on their own are not words.

### Does it count characters with spaces?

Yes, both. Characters counts every character with the spaces, but not line breaks, as word processors do; characters without spaces also leaves out spaces and tabs. Many forms and sites limit one or the other.

### How are sentences and paragraphs counted?

A sentence ends at a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark, or at the end of the text. A paragraph is a line that holds at least one word, so each new line starts a new paragraph.

### How long does it take to read my text?

The reading time uses 238 words a minute, the average silent reading speed of adults for English non-fiction in Brysbaert’s 2019 review of 190 studies. Reading aloud averages 183 words a minute.

### Why does my word processor give a different count?

Counters differ on edge cases: a dash with spaces, a URL, an email address, or a number with a decimal point. The rules here are written out below, so you can see why a word counts.

### Is my text sent anywhere?

No. The counting runs in your browser. Your text goes into the page’s link so you can share it, so do not share the link if the text is private.

## Sources

- Brysbaert, M. (2019). How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language, 109, 104047 (silent reading of English non-fiction 238 words a minute; fiction 260; reading aloud 183). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047 (retrieved 2026-10-03)