Word Counter
Paste or type text below to instantly count words, characters, and sentences.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Does this word counter save my text?
No - the count runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.
Does this count words the same way Microsoft Word does?
Very close, but not always identical - this counter splits on whitespace, which is how most word processors count too, but edge cases like hyphenated words or numbers can be tallied slightly differently between tools.
What counts as a 'sentence' in the sentence count?
Text ending in a period, question mark, or exclamation point is counted as one sentence - abbreviations with periods (like 'Dr.' or 'e.g.') can occasionally inflate the count slightly, since the tool can't always distinguish a sentence-ending period from an abbreviation's period.
Does this tool count characters as well as words?
Yes - alongside the word count, it shows character count both with and without spaces, plus sentence and paragraph counts, which is useful for meeting strict character limits like social media posts or meta descriptions.
Does a hyphenated word like 'well-known' count as one word or two?
One word - the counter splits on whitespace, and since there's no space inside 'well-known,' it's treated as a single word, matching how most word processors handle hyphenated compounds.
If I paste in three blank lines between paragraphs, does that affect the count?
Extra blank lines don't add to the word or character count (there are no words on them), but they do count toward paragraph detection, since a blank line is typically what separates one paragraph from the next.
How is 'word count' different from 'character count' for things like Twitter/X limits?
Word count tallies whitespace-separated words, while character count tallies every individual letter, number, space, and symbol. Platforms like X limit by character count, not word count, so check the character count (with spaces) this tool shows if you're working against a platform's character limit.