Word Counter
Get live word, character, sentence, and paragraph counts plus reading time, speaking time, and word frequency — processed locally in your browser.
Text is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded.
0 words
0 characters
0 sec reading
Text editor
Paste or type — counts update as you go
Empty draft — add text to see live statistics.
Live statistics
Reading 238 WPM · Speaking 150 WPM
Words
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Characters
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With spaces
Characters
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Without spaces
Graphemes
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Perceived characters
Sentences
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Paragraphs
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Reading time
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Speaking time
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Est. pages
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≈ 250 words/page
Word frequency
Most common words in this draft (case-insensitive). Large inputs update shortly after you pause typing.
Frequency breakdown appears once your text contains countable words.
How to use this tool
- Paste or type your text into the editor.
- Review live statistics as the draft updates.
- Use Copy, Download TXT, or Clear when you are finished.
- Optionally load sample text to explore the counters.
What is a word counter?
A word counter measures how much text you have written. Writers, students, editors, and marketers use counters to check assignment limits, estimate reading effort, and keep drafts within a target length.
How to count words online with WordMelo
Open the editor above, paste your draft, and read the live statistics panel. Nothing is submitted to a form endpoint for counting. You can copy the text back out, download a TXT file, or clear the editor when you are done.
What counts as a word?
Word boundaries look simple in everyday English and become harder with punctuation, emoji, hyphenation, and other scripts. WordMelo documents its approach instead of claiming universal linguistic perfection:
- Words use Intl.Segmenter when available, with a whitespace fallback.
- Character counts report JavaScript string length; grapheme count uses perceived characters.
- Sentence and word boundaries are approximate for mixed languages and abbreviations.
- Reading time assumes about 238 words per minute; speaking time assumes about 150.
- Page estimates assume about 250 words per page and are optional guidance only.
Words vs characters
Word count helps with essay limits and speaking estimates. Character count matters for captions, SMS-style drafts, and length budgets. For a dedicated letter counter, Unicode metrics, and a custom character-limit checker, open the Character Counter. This Word Counter still reports characters with spaces, characters without spaces, and graphemes alongside reading-time tools.
Reading time explained
Adult silent reading speed varies widely by difficulty and familiarity. WordMelo uses approximately 238 words per minute as a practical average for general English prose. Dense academic writing often takes longer; light narrative may take less.
Speaking time explained
Presentation pacing also varies. The speaking estimate uses about 150 words per minute — a common planning figure for clear spoken delivery. Rehearse aloud when timing is critical.
Practical use cases
- Checking essay, personal statement, or scholarship limits.
- Estimating blog post reading time before publishing.
- Timing talks, pitches, and classroom presentations.
- Reviewing repeated words with the frequency table.
- Quickly measuring pasted email or documentation drafts.
Normalize casing or style a short bio
Fix accidental caps with the Case Converter, the Title Case Converter for editorial headline capitalization, open the Fancy Text Generator to create copy-and-paste Unicode styles for names and bios, brainstorm with the Random Word Generator, or fill layouts with the Lorem Ipsum Generator.
Common questions
Is my text uploaded to WordMelo servers?
No. The Word Counter processes text in your browser. Editor contents are not sent to WordMelo servers, analytics endpoints, or third-party APIs for counting.
What counts as a word?
WordMelo prefers the browser’s Intl.Segmenter word segmentation when available. Word-like segments (including many contractions, numbers, and hyphenated compounds) are counted. Fallback mode splits on whitespace and trims edge punctuation. Mixed-language and informal text can still be ambiguous.
How are reading and speaking times calculated?
Reading time uses about 238 words per minute. Speaking time uses about 150 words per minute. Both estimates round up to the nearest second and are practical averages, not personalized measurements.
Why is there a grapheme count as well as character counts?
JavaScript string length counts UTF-16 code units. Grapheme counting uses Intl.Segmenter when available to better reflect user-perceived characters, especially for emoji sequences and combining marks.
How accurate is the page estimate?
The optional page estimate divides word count by 250, a common rough figure for double-spaced manuscript pages. Actual printed or paginated length depends on font, margins, spacing, and layout.
Related tools
- Character Counter
Count characters, letters, spaces, and Unicode length with a custom limit checker.
- Case Converter
Convert text to uppercase, lowercase, sentence case, title case, camelCase, and more.
- Title Case Converter
Capitalize titles and headlines with APA, MLA, Chicago, and AP composition rules.
- Fancy Text Generator
Generate stylish Unicode fonts to copy and paste for bios, names, and captions.
- Cursive Generator
Create copyable Unicode cursive fonts or design handwriting and download a PNG.
- Random Word Generator
Generate random English words with length, letter, and part-of-speech filters.
- Pictionary Word Generator
Curated drawing prompts with timer, categories, and local team scoring.
- Random Letter Generator
Pick random letters A–Z, vowels or consonants, with unique batches and an alphabet wheel.
- Lorem Ipsum Generator
Generate Lorem Ipsum placeholder text for mockups, websites, and UI prototypes.