Free Word Counter — Words, Characters & Reading Time

A word counter is a tool that counts the number of words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in any block of text. It is used by writers, students, journalists, social media managers, and developers to check length requirements, estimate reading time, and analyze text structure.

ttools.ubify.app counts words entirely in your browser. Your text never leaves your device — essential when the text contains drafts, confidential documents, client materials, or unpublished work.

Paste any text and instantly see: word count, character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, paragraph count, estimated reading time at 238 words per minute (average adult), and speaking time at 130 words per minute.

For social media managers and content writers, character counting is often more critical than word counting. Every platform enforces strict limits. Twitter/X allows 280 characters (25,000 for Premium). LinkedIn posts allow up to 3,000 characters. Instagram captions max out at 2,200 characters. YouTube descriptions are capped at 5,000 characters. Pinterest descriptions allow 500 characters. For SEO, a title tag should stay under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results, and a meta description should be 140-160 characters.

For academic writing, word counts matter more than characters. High school essays typically run 500-800 words. College personal statements range from 250-650 words. Undergraduate papers run 1,500-5,000 words. A master's thesis is 15,000-50,000 words, and a PhD dissertation is 60,000-100,000 words.

For web content and SEO, word count is a signal but not a direct ranking factor. Pages that rank on page 1 for competitive keywords tend to be 1,500-2,500 words because longer content naturally covers more related terms, answers more questions, and earns more backlinks. However, a focused 500-word page that directly answers a specific question can outrank a padded 3,000-word page. Use word count as a benchmark, not a target.

Reading time is estimated at 238 words per minute — the average silent reading speed for adults processing non-technical content, based on research published in Reading and Writing (2019). For technical or academic content, 150-180 wpm is more realistic. Speaking time uses 130 wpm — a standard presentation pace. Conference speakers typically aim for 120-150 wpm. Audiobook narration averages 150-160 wpm.

The counter handles text in any language and any character set — including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and other non-Latin scripts. CJK characters are counted individually as words since they do not use spaces as word delimiters. Everything processes locally in your browser — no uploads, no server, and no privacy risk for sensitive documents.