How to count words
- Paste your essay, article or post into the box, or start typing.
- Read the word count and character counts as you write.
- Edit until you are within the limit for your assignment or platform.
Word limits in practice
School essays often ask for 500β1,500 words, college application essays 250β650 words, and blog posts that rank well tend to run 1,000β2,000 words. Staying within about 10% of a target is usually fine unless a hard limit is stated.
Cutting words
Remove filler like "very", "really" and "in order to", turn passive sentences into active ones and merge short sentences that repeat a subject. These edits cut words without losing meaning.
Characters as well as words
Some forms count characters instead of words. The counter shows both, with and without spaces, so you can check limits for tweets, meta descriptions or application forms in the same place.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
Words are runs of characters separated by spaces or line breaks, the same way Microsoft Word and Google Docs count them. Hyphenated words count as one.
How many words is a page?
About 500 words single-spaced or 250 words double-spaced with 12 pt font and standard margins.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
About 4 minutes silently at 250 words per minute, and about 7β8 minutes aloud.
Is my text saved?
No. Counting happens in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.