--- title: Word Counter: Free Online Tool | Relic description: Free online word counter. Count words, sentences, characters (with and without spaces), paragraphs, lines, unique lines and reading time as you type, at a reading speed you choose. Runs entirely in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. canonical: https://relic.space/tools/word-counter source: https://relic.space/llms.txt --- # Word Counter Count words, sentences, characters, lines and reading time, live as you type. Free, private, no sign-up. Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded. 0 Words 0 Sentences 0 Characters 0 Chars (no spaces) 0 Paragraphs 0s Read time 0 Lines 0 Non-empty lines 0 Empty lines 0 Unique lines Sentences are counted at . ! ? followed by a space or a line break. Abbreviations like e.g. and decimals like 3.5 are not split. Paragraphs are counted at blank lines. Reading speed: 200 words per minuteMost adults read around 200 to 250 words per minute. Slide it to match your audience. Speaking time stays at 130 words per minute, because we slow down when we read aloud. 0 lines · reading 0s · speaking 0s ## A free word counter that just works Paste an essay, a tweet, a meta description, or a chapter and this **word counter** updates instantly: words, sentences, characters with and without spaces, paragraphs, a full line breakdown, and estimated reading and speaking time. Everything runs in your browser, so your writing never leaves your device and there is nothing to sign up for. ## How sentences and paragraphs are counted Sentences are counted at . ! ? followed by a space or a line break. Abbreviations like e.g. and decimals like 3.5 are not split. * A run of marks counts once, so an ellipsis or a “wait?!” ends one sentence, not three. * An ellipsis followed by a lowercase word is a pause, so “Wait… what happened?” is one sentence. * A closing quote or bracket after the mark stays with that sentence. * Common short forms are skipped: Dr., Mr., St., vs., etc., e.g., i.e., a.m., U.S., and single initials like J. R. R. * Text with words but no final period still counts as one sentence, which is what you want for a headline or a note. * Paragraphs are counted at blank lines, so lines you break without an empty line between them stay one paragraph. The count is a close reading of punctuation, not a grammar parser. An abbreviation that really did end a sentence (“pens, paper, etc.”) is counted with the sentence that follows it, and a name used as a whole word (“Room A.”) is read as an initial. Sentence and paragraph counts show the shape of your writing, not just its length: a paragraph that has swollen into a wall of text, or an intro that is one long breathless sentence, stands out here in a way a word count hides. ## Counting lines, including the blank and repeated ones The four line numbers are there for lists rather than prose. **Lines** counts every line, blank ones included. **Non-empty lines** skips the blanks, so the gap between the two numbers is how much empty space is in your text. **Unique lines** counts repeats once, which is the fastest way to see how much duplication a pasted list holds. A Windows line break counts as one break, so a file pasted from Notepad does not read double. ## Character limits worth writing against Most hard limits count characters including spaces, so the **Characters** figure is usually the one to watch. The one without spaces is what some academic and translation rules prefer. Emoji are the exception: they are often more than one character underneath, and platforms count them differently (X counts most as two), so leave a little headroom when your text is close to a limit. * X post: 280 characters. Bluesky: 300\. Threads: 500. * Instagram bio: 150 characters, captions 2,200\. X bio: 160. * SEO title: about 60 characters. Meta description: about 155. * One SMS segment: 160 characters before it splits into two. ## Reading time and speaking time Reading time starts at 200 words per minute, a common silent-reading pace for adults, and the slider moves it anywhere between 100 and 400 so you can match your own audience. Speaking time stays at 130 words per minute, which is the number to use when you are timing a talk, a script or a podcast segment. Both are shown as minutes and seconds from your live word count. ## Why writers keep losing their best lines You copy a perfect sentence to move it somewhere, then copy something else, and it’s gone. Your clipboard remembers exactly one thing. **Relic** gives it a memory of everything: every snippet you copy is kept, searchable forever, on every device, and end-to-end encrypted so only you can read it. The word counter is free; never losing a draft again is the upgrade. ## Frequently asked questions How do I count words in my text?+ Just type or paste your text into the box and the word count updates live as you go, no button to press. The counter splits your text on whitespace, so any run of spaces, tabs, or line breaks marks the boundary between two words. How does the word counter count sentences and paragraphs?+ Sentences are counted at a period, question mark or exclamation point followed by a space or a line break. A run of marks counts once, so an ellipsis ends one sentence. Abbreviations like e.g. and decimals like 3.5 are not split, so "Dr. Smith went home." counts as one sentence. Paragraphs are counted by splitting on blank lines, meaning two blocks of text separated by an empty line count as two paragraphs. Can I use this as a sentence counter?+ Yes. The sentence total sits at the top next to the word count and updates as you type, and the rule it follows is written out right under the counters. Sentence and paragraph counts show the shape of your writing rather than its length, which is how you spot a paragraph that has swollen into a wall of text or an intro that is one long breathless sentence. How accurate is the sentence count?+ It reads punctuation, it does not parse grammar. Ordinary prose comes out right. An abbreviation that genuinely ended a sentence ("pens, paper, etc.") is counted with the sentence after it, and a single capital letter followed by a period is read as an initial. Treat it as a close estimate on text full of abbreviations. What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?+ Characters counts every single character including spaces, tabs, and line breaks, which is the number most social and SEO limits use. Characters without spaces strips out all whitespace first, which some academic and translation word-count rules prefer. Both are shown side by side. How is the reading time estimated?+ Reading time starts at 200 words per minute, a common silent-reading pace for adults, and the slider moves it anywhere between 100 and 400 so you can match your own audience. The speaking estimate stays at 130 words per minute, since we slow down when reading aloud. Both are shown as minutes and seconds from your live word count. Can I change the reading speed?+ Yes. Drag the reading-speed slider under the counters to anything from 100 to 400 words per minute and the reading estimate follows it. Speaking time is fixed at 130 words per minute, which is the number to use when you are timing a talk, a script or a podcast segment. What are the character limits on major platforms?+ X posts are 280, Bluesky 300 and Threads 500\. Instagram bios are 150 and captions 2,200, X bios are 160\. One SMS segment is 160 characters before it splits in two. SEO titles are safe under about 60 and meta descriptions under about 155\. Most of those count spaces, so watch the characters-with-spaces number. Emoji are often more than one character underneath and platforms count them differently, so leave headroom. Can I use this as a line counter?+ Yes. Under the main counters there is a line breakdown: total lines, non-empty lines, empty lines and unique lines. Total counts every line including blanks, non-empty skips the blanks, and unique counts a repeated line once, which is the quickest way to see how much duplication is in a pasted list. A Windows line break counts as one break, so a file pasted from Notepad does not read double. Is my text private when I use this word counter?+ Yes. All the counting happens right in your browser as you type, so nothing you write is ever uploaded or sent to a server. You can paste a confidential draft or an unpublished manuscript without it leaving your device. You just copied that. What if you never lost it? **Relic** remembers everything you copy, forever, searchable on every device, and end-to-end encrypted so only you can read it. 250 MB free [Download forWindows](https://relic.space/download/windows)[Download formacOS](https://relic.space/download/macos)[Download forLinux](https://relic.space/download/linux)[Download forAndroid](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=relic.space.app&referrer=utm%5Fsource%3Drelic.space%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dwebsite%26utm%5Fcampaign%3Dcontent)[Download foriPhone](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/relic-clipboard-vault/id6800556025) More free tools [Syllable Countersyllable counter](https://relic.space/tools/syllable-counter)[Readability Checkerreadability checker](https://relic.space/tools/readability-checker)[Case Convertercase converter](https://relic.space/tools/case-converter)[Online Notepadonline notepad](https://relic.space/tools/online-notepad)[Lorem Ipsum Generatorlorem ipsum generator](https://relic.space/tools/lorem-ipsum-generator)[Markdown Editormarkdown editor](https://relic.space/tools/markdown-editor)[All tools](https://relic.space/tools)