CalcWhenWord Counter
The sample in the box — “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. It is a bright morning and the birds are singing in the trees.” — counts to 22 words, 2 sentences and 107 characters.
How it works
Type or paste and every count updates with each keystroke — words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, and even the average length of your words. Underneath, the counter estimates how long the text takes to read silently and to say aloud, which is how you know whether the essay fits the limit and the speech fits the slot.
Essay limits, application boxes, article targets, speech lengths: they are all word counts wearing different clothes, so the counter is deliberately strict about what a word is (see the method) and prints its convention rather than hiding it.
The method
A word is any run of non-space characters, so “well-known” and “don't” each count as one — the convention used by most editors and submission systems. Characters count every character including spaces; sentences end at ., ! or ?; paragraphs are separated by blank lines. Reading time assumes 200 words per minute, speaking 130.
Frequently asked questions
How are words counted?
By splitting the text on whitespace: anything separated by spaces, tabs or line breaks is one word. Numbers and hyphenated words count as one word each, matching most word processors.
Why does my count differ from my editor's?
Usually the sentence rule or hyphenation: some editors count “well-known” as two words, this counter counts one. Small differences of a word or two per page are convention, not error.
Does my text get uploaded or saved?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser — you can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it will keep counting.