Free Online Word Counter (Works Offline Too)

A word counter is one of those tools you reach for constantly — checking an essay against a limit, sizing a blog post, or figuring out how long a speech will take to deliver. This one is free, requires no sign-up, runs entirely in your browser, and works offline after the first visit.

What it counts

Paste or type anything into the counter and it tracks several metrics in real time — no button to press, no "count" step:

Why use an online word counter

Most word processors have a built-in word count — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages, and every other major editor. So why use a separate tool?

• You're not in an editor. You might be drafting in a plain text field on a website, in a chat box, or in a form that has its own character limit.
• You need multiple metrics at once. Word processors usually show words and characters. A dedicated counter shows sentences, paragraphs, and reading time too.
• You want a live view. Some editors only update the count on save or when you open a menu. The counter here updates as you type.
• You need to paste text from somewhere else. Copy a paragraph from a PDF, a chat, or a web page and get instant counts without opening Word.
• You want speaking-time estimates. For scripts, speeches, and presentations, words-per-minute matters more than word count. A 500-word speech runs about 4 minutes; a 1,500-word speech runs about 12.
• You're on a device without Word or Docs. Chromebooks, tablets, and shared computers often don't have a full editor installed.

Common word count targets

If you're writing to a target, here's a rough reference for typical limits and formats:

Speaking rate matters more than most people expect. Conversational speaking runs about 130 words per minute. A rehearsed presentation might run 150. Fast-paced narration can go as high as 180. If you have a hard time limit, aim for the lower end and read your script aloud to check the actual pace.

How the count compares to Word and Google Docs

The number you see here should match what you see in Word or Google Docs within a word or two — but there are a few edge cases where they can differ:

• Hyphenated words. "Well-known" might count as one word or two. Most counters split only on spaces, so it counts as one.
• Numbers and symbols. A phone number like "(555) 123-4567" might count as one, two, or three "words" depending on the parser.
• Em-dashes. An em-dash without spaces ("word—word") is a single token in most counters, but Word may treat it as two.
• URLs. "https://example.com" counts as one word in most counters, but a linkifier might expand it.
• Non-English scripts. Chinese, Japanese, and Thai don't use spaces between words. The counter will count them as chunks rather than individual words.

For essays, blog posts, and articles, these differences rarely add up to more than a word or two over the length of a paragraph. If you're working to a hard limit, leave a small buffer.

Privacy and offline use

Everything happens in your browser. Your text never leaves your device — it's not transmitted, logged, or stored on any server. You can verify this yourself: load the counter, then turn off your internet connection and start typing. The counts will keep updating. If the tool depended on a server, it would stop the moment you disconnected.

Because it uses the browser's standard Progressive Web App caching, once you've visited the page once, it works offline in any modern browser. For a permanent offline copy, install it from your browser's menu ("Add to Home Screen" on mobile, "Install" in the address bar on desktop). Once installed, the counter opens in its own window and works fully offline, just like a native app.

This makes it safe for editing private drafts, unpublished writing, client documents, or anything else you wouldn't want to paste into an arbitrary website.

Related tools

A few other tools on this site pair well with the word counter:

• Word Frequency Counter — shows which words appear most often in a text. Useful for catching overused words or identifying a document's topic.
• Case Converter — changes text between UPPERCASE, lowercase, Title Case, and 8 other styles.
• Text Diff Checker — compares two versions of a text and highlights exactly what changed.
• Markdown Previewer — write Markdown and see it rendered live.

All of them work in your browser, offline, and with no account required.