# Word Counter

> Free word counter: live word, character, sentence and paragraph counts plus reading time as you type. No signup, works in your browser.

Paste or type your text and watch live counts for words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and estimated reading time. Nothing leaves your browser.

*Interactive tool: enter your values at https://toollantern.win/word-counter/ and results update instantly in your browser.*

## What this tool counts

As you type or paste, six numbers update live: **words**, **characters** (with spaces), **characters without spaces**, **sentences**, **paragraphs** and **reading time**. It is built for essays, articles, resumes and anywhere a word limit matters.

## How counting works

A word is any run of non-space characters, so **well-known** counts as one word and **don't** counts as one word. Sentences are split on **.**, **!**, **?** and **…**. Paragraphs are blocks of text separated by blank lines. Reading time assumes 200 words per minute, the standard average for silent reading.

## Worked example

The text **"Hello world. This is a test."** counts as 6 words, 28 characters, 23 without spaces, 2 sentences, 1 paragraph, and about 2 seconds of reading time.

## Limitations

Hyphenated compounds count as single words, and abbreviations like **Dr.** can split sentences early. For languages without spaces between words, such as Chinese, the word count is not meaningful, but the character counts still are.

## Frequently asked questions
### How are words counted?

A word is any run of characters separated by spaces, so well-known counts as one word. Hyphenated compounds and contractions each count once.

### How is reading time calculated?

Words divided by 200, the standard average silent reading speed. Under a minute it shows seconds instead.

### Does the word counter work offline?

Yes. All counting happens locally in your browser, so the tool works even with a weak or missing connection after the page loads.

### Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No. Your text never leaves your device; every count is computed by JavaScript in the page itself.

### What counts as a sentence?

A sentence ends at ., !, ? or …. Abbreviations like Dr. can fool the splitter, so treat the sentence count as an estimate for formal writing.

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Interactive version: https://toollantern.win/word-counter/