Free Word & Character Counter — For Writers.
✦ Free Tool- Words0
- Characters0
- Sentences0
- Paragraphs0
- Unique words0
- Avg. word length—
- Avg. sentence—
- Reading time—
- Speaking time—
- Longest word—
- Fits tweet?—
Type to see top keywords…
This is where writers actually write.
Most word counters are just that — counters. This one is a full writing environment. Draft your piece, track your session, hit your targets, and measure what matters. All in one place, all free.
Not just counting words — building better ones.
Every feature in this tool exists to make your writing sharper, your workflow faster, and your output more professional. Writers at every level — from first freelance pitch to six-figure content strategy — use these exact metrics daily.
A real writing environment
The editor isn't just a paste target. Start here. Use the Draft Note for your angle, the Keyword Targets as your live brief, and the session timer to track how long it actually takes you to write 500 words.
Your live brief, right next to your draft
Add every keyword your brief requires. As you write, they check off in real time. No more switching tabs to verify you've covered the client's requirements — it's all here, watching as you type.
Focus Mode for deep work
Hit Focus Mode and everything disappears — the page, the noise, the distractions. Pure dark screen, just you and the words. Your stats, targets, and timer stay live. Press ESC when you're done.
Know your pace, know your price
The session timer tracks words-per-minute as you write. Freelancers use this to understand how long article types actually take — which means quoting accurately and never underselling a project again.
One-click stats for every client
Copy your stats summary before you send any deliverable. Words, characters, reading time, speaking time — professional, instant, receipts. Clients don't ask if you hit the brief. You show them.
Vocabulary and density, at a glance
The keyword density panel catches stuffing before it embarrasses you. The unique word count tells you if your vocabulary is working. Good metrics make better writers — this tool gives you both.
How many words does
your platform actually need?
Every platform has a sweet spot. Write too little and you get skipped. Write too much and you lose them. Here's what the data says.
Blog Posts & Articles
Best for SEO: 1,500–2,500 wordsGoogle's algorithm rewards depth. Long-form posts that cover a topic thoroughly tend to rank higher and earn more backlinks — but only when the writing is genuinely good.
- Short post500–900 words
- Standard post1,000–1,500 words
- SEO pillar content2,000–4,000 words
- Cornerstone / cluster hub4,000+ words
Email Newsletters
Sweet spot: 200–500 wordsMost people read email on their phone, between things. Short, punchy newsletters outperform walls of text. Long-form Substack is the exception — readers opt in for depth there.
- Cold outreach email75–150 words
- Standard newsletter200–500 words
- Long-form / Substack800–2,500 words
Social Media
LinkedIn: 150–300 words · X: ≤ 280 charsCharacter limits vary wildly across platforms. LinkedIn posts at 1,300–2,000 characters see the highest engagement. Instagram captions hook or die in 3 lines.
- Twitter / X≤ 280 characters
- LinkedIn post150–300 words
- Instagram caption125–150 words
- Facebook post40–80 words
Sales & Landing Pages
Match length to price & audience skepticismSales copy lives and dies by persuasion, not word count. High-ticket offers require more objection handling, more story — which means more words.
- Ad copy25–50 words
- Landing page (low-ticket)500–900 words
- Landing page (mid-ticket)1,000–2,000 words
- Sales page (high-ticket)2,500–6,000 words
Podcast & Video Scripts
~130 words per minute spokenSpoken word moves slower than reading. A 10-minute podcast needs roughly 1,200–1,400 words. Use the speaking time estimate to hit your runtime before you record.
- 5-min video/episode~650 words
- 15-min episode~1,950 words
- 30-min episode~3,900 words
- 60-min episode~7,800 words
White Papers & Reports
3,000–10,000 wordsB2B content rewards depth. White papers and research reports that go deep build credibility and generate qualified leads. The goal is to be the definitive resource.
- Case study500–1,500 words
- White paper3,000–6,000 words
- Research report6,000–12,000 words
- eBook10,000–30,000 words
Product Descriptions
75–300 words depending on complexitySimple products need punchy descriptions. Amazon listings consistently perform better with keyword-rich descriptions over 200 words. Match length to what the buyer needs to know before they click Add to Cart.
- Simple product75–100 words
- Standard product150–200 words
- Technical / complex250–400 words
- Amazon listing200+ words
Press Releases
Standard: 400–600 wordsJournalists have no time. Lead with the most important information, stay factual, and give the journalist everything they need in the first two paragraphs. The rest is support.
- Standard press release400–600 words
- Major announcement600–800 words
- One-pager / backgrounder250–400 words
Word count isn't about
filling space.
The link between word count and search rankings
SEO studies consistently find a correlation between content length and first-page Google rankings. This isn't because Google counts words and rewards length — it's because comprehensive content naturally covers more sub-topics, earns more backlinks, and answers more user questions.
The key word is naturally. A 3,000-word article padded with repetition performs worse than a tight 1,500-word piece that's genuinely useful. Word count is the byproduct of doing the work well — not the goal itself.
Character count and platform performance
Every social platform has a hard character limit, and each has a soft limit — the point at which engagement drops off sharply. Facebook posts under 80 characters get measurably higher engagement. LinkedIn posts around 1,300 characters tend to max out reach before the algorithm deprioritises them.
Reading time changes how people consume content
Displaying an estimated reading time increases engagement. Readers who know it's a 4-minute read are more likely to commit. The same principle applies to scripts — a speaking time estimate stops you from writing a 40-minute episode when you only have 20 minutes of studio time.
Writing for search:
what actually works.
Word count is one piece of a larger content strategy. Here's how the metrics in this tool connect to real SEO outcomes.
Keyword Density: The 1–2% Rule
Keyword density measures how often your target keyword appears relative to your total word count. Modern SEO is less about a specific number and more about using your keyword naturally where it matters: your title, first paragraph, at least one subheading, and throughout the body.
Use the keyword density panel to check you're not over-using a word to where it sounds unnatural. Both Google and your readers will penalise you for it.
Unique Words & Semantic Richness
Your unique word count gives you a vocabulary range score. A high ratio of unique words to total words signals varied, engaging writing. Search engines evaluate semantic richness, rewarding content that covers a topic with a range of related terms.
If your unique word percentage is low, you're likely repeating words unnecessarily — which feels monotonous and signals shallow topic coverage.
Sentence Length & Readability
Short sentences are easier to read. Longer sentences carry more nuance. A high average sentence length (above 25 words) typically correlates with lower readability scores, which affects both human engagement and how search engines evaluate content quality.
Google's E-E-A-T guidelines favour clear, well-organised writing. Readability isn't just a UX preference — it's a ranking signal.
Matching Word Count to Search Intent
Search intent matters more than word count. Informational queries reward longer, comprehensive content. Transactional queries want short, direct answers that convert. Matching intent is the highest-leverage move most content writers overlook.
Before setting a word count target, ask what the searcher actually wants. If they want a quick answer, give them a quick answer.
Pillar Content & Topic Clusters
A pillar page is a long-form, comprehensive resource on a broad topic — typically 3,000–5,000+ words. It links out to shorter cluster pages covering subtopics in detail. This signals to Google that your site has authority on the topic as a whole.
Word count targets for pillar content should be ambitious — but only because you're genuinely covering the topic comprehensively.
Dwell Time & Reading Time as Signals
Dwell time — how long someone stays on your page before returning to search — is one of the strongest behavioural signals search engines use to evaluate content quality. A reader spending 7 minutes on your article signals it was useful.
Displaying your estimated reading time sets expectations. Readers who know what they're committing to are less likely to bounce.
Content Freshness & Word Count Updates
Google favours fresh content for topics that change over time. One of the most effective ways to boost an underperforming article is to update it — adding new information, expanding thin sections, and increasing word count when it genuinely improves the piece.
Use this tool when revising old content. Paste your existing post, note your current word count, then identify which sections need more depth.
Meta Descriptions & Title Tags
Meta descriptions should sit between 150–160 characters. Title tags ideally land under 60 characters. These aren't direct ranking factors, but they directly affect click-through rate — which does influence rankings over time.
Use the character counter in this tool to draft and check your meta descriptions and title tags. It takes 30 seconds and most writers skip it.
How to use your word count
intelligently.
Numbers are only useful if you know what to do with them. Here's how professional writers actually use this tool in their daily workflow.
Set your target before you write, not after
Know your word count target before you start drafting. A 500-word newsletter and a 2,500-word pillar post require completely different approaches to structure, depth, and pacing. Setting your target upfront prevents the two most common mistakes: writing too little and stuffing filler to pad it out, or writing too much and having to brutally cut things you love.
Use character count for every client deliverable
Before sending any copy to a client, check your character count for the platform it's going to. Ad headlines, meta descriptions, social captions, SMS copy — all have hard limits that will get your work truncated if you exceed them. Make it a pre-send habit and you'll never have a client come back asking why their Facebook ad got cut off mid-sentence.
Track unique word % across projects
Monitoring your unique word percentage across different projects gives you a quick vocabulary health check. If your ratio drops on certain types of content, that's your signal to actively vary your phrasing. Good writers have broad vocabulary not because they use big words, but because they use different ones.
Use speaking time for script precision
If you write podcast scripts, video voiceovers, or speech copy, speaking time is your most useful number. Most people deliver naturally at about 130 words per minute. Write to that number and you stop overrunning every recording session — tighter scripts are more engaging scripts.
Paste your stats with every draft you submit
When submitting content to clients or editors, include your stats summary with the draft. It shows professionalism, saves the client from counting manually, and positions you as the kind of writer who thinks precisely about their work. You have the receipts before anyone asks.
Use keyword density as a second-draft check
Don't think about keyword density in your first draft — it kills the flow. Write freely, get your ideas down, then use the keyword panel as a second-draft check. If your target keyword appears 20+ times in a 1,000-word post, your writing has drifted into awkward repetition. Fix it in editing, not while you're generating.
Built for every kind of writer.
Whether you're pitching a client, filing a feature, or scripting a podcast — you need the numbers.
Freelance Writers
Track word counts before invoicing. Most clients pay per word — know your numbers before you hit send.
Content Marketers
Hit SEO targets, check keyword density, and make sure every piece has the depth Google rewards.
Email Copywriters
Keep newsletters tight. Use speaking time to preview how a read feels — not just how many words it has.
Students & Academics
Essays, dissertations, research papers — meet the brief every time. No more guessing.
PR & Comms Teams
Press releases, exec speeches, internal memos — different formats, different lengths. Count before you publish.
Podcasters & Speakers
Script to the second. Use speaking time estimates to nail your runtime without a stopwatch in the booth.
eCommerce Copywriters
Product descriptions, ad copy, email flows — character counts matter everywhere when every word sells something.
Journalists & Editors
Every editor has a word budget. Check your count before filing — trimming is easier when you know exactly how far over you are.
Questions writers actually ask.
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