Word counter
Paste text below. Counts update live. Nothing is uploaded.
What counts as a word?
This counter splits on whitespace, so "twenty-one" is one word, "twenty one" is two. Punctuation doesn't add to the word count. Most academic and journalism word counts use the same rule.
Reading time formula
Average adult reading speed is around 238 words per minute for English prose. We use 225 wpm as a conservative estimate. For technical material with code, expect roughly half that speed.
Common word count targets
| Content type | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Tweet | ~50 words / 280 chars |
| SEO meta description | 150-160 chars |
| LinkedIn post | 200-300 words |
| Blog post (SEO) | 1,500-2,500 words |
| News article | 600-1,200 words |
| Academic essay | 1,500-5,000 words |
| Master's dissertation | 15,000-25,000 words |
| Novel | 70,000-100,000 words |
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