Word Counter

Why I keep a Word Counter open all day
If you write for a living, you've felt it: the editor wants "around 800 words," the client
wants "under 160 characters for the meta description," and you're sitting there eyeballing a paragraph like it owes you money. A Word Counter takes the guessing out of
it.
It does exactly what the name promises — counts your words, characters, sentences,
and gives you an estimated reading time. No sign-up, no fuss. You paste your text in,
and the numbers update live.
What it actually counts
• Words — the headline number most briefs care about.

• Characters — with and without spaces, which matters for titles, tweets, and meta

tags.
• Sentences — a quick sanity check on how dense your writing is.

• Reading time — usually based on an average reading speed (~200–250 words

per minute), so you can promise "a 4-minute read" honestly.
How to use it (step by step)
1. Open the Word Counter.
2. Paste or type your text into the box.
3. Watch the counts update in real time — no button to press.
4. Adjust your draft until you hit your target, then copy it back into your CMS.
Real-world use cases
•
Hitting a brief: A client asks for 1,200 words. You write to the number instead of

past it.
• Meta descriptions: Trimming to stay under ~160 characters so Google doesn't cut

you off.
• Social posts: Keeping a caption tight before it gets truncated.

• Reading-time labels: Adding "5 min read" to the top of a post to set reader

expectations.
FAQ
Does it save my text?
Most simple counters run in your browser and don't store anything — but always check
the tool's privacy note if you're pasting sensitive work.
Why is the reading time different from another tool's?
Each tool assumes a slightly different reading speed. Treat it as an estimate, not a
stopwatch.
Does it count Markdown or HTML tags?
Usually yes — it counts everything you paste. Strip formatting first if you want a clean
count.
Try it
Keep the Word Counter pinned in a browser tab and let it do the math while you focus
on the writing.