Speaking: 0m 0s
Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs -- private, runs in your browser
Read more: Word Counter With Reading Time and Character Limits
Word count is a fundamental constraint in writing. College essays typically require 250-650 words. Cover letters should stay under 400 words. Blog posts perform best for SEO at 1,500-2,500 words. Social media posts have strict character limits. Knowing your exact word count helps you stay within limits and write more effectively.
Word count also serves as a productivity metric for writers. Professional journalists often write 1,000-2,000 words per day. Novelists target 500-1,500 words during writing sessions. Tracking your output helps build consistent writing habits.
| Platform | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Twitter / X | 280 chars | URLs count as 23 chars; Premium allows 25,000 |
| Instagram bio | 150 chars | Captions allow up to 2,200 chars |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 chars | About section: 2,600 chars |
| Facebook post | 63,206 chars | Effectively unlimited for most uses |
| Meta description (SEO) | 155 chars | Google may truncate longer descriptions |
| Title tag (SEO) | 60 chars | Google truncates at ~580px width |
| YouTube title | 100 chars | Recommended: under 70 chars for display |
| SMS message | 160 chars | Longer messages split into multiple parts |
Reading time is estimated by dividing the word count by the average adult reading speed. Research suggests the average silent reading rate is approximately 238 words per minute for non-fiction text. This tool uses that rate to provide an estimate. Actual reading time varies based on text complexity, reader familiarity with the subject, and whether the text contains technical vocabulary or data.
Speaking time uses a rate of 150 words per minute, which is typical for presentations and public speaking. Conversational speech averages 120-180 words per minute, while auctioneers may reach 250+ words per minute.
Words are counted by splitting text on whitespace boundaries (spaces, tabs, newlines). Multiple consecutive whitespace characters are treated as a single separator. Hyphenated words like "well-known" count as one word, matching the behavior of Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Hyphenated words count as a single word. For example, "state-of-the-art" is one word. This follows the convention used by most word processors. If you need each segment counted separately, replace hyphens with spaces.
Standard Twitter/X posts have a 280-character limit. URLs are shortened to 23 characters regardless of actual length. Emojis are counted as 2 characters. Twitter Blue / Premium subscribers can post up to 25,000 characters per post.