Word Counter
Paste or type your text and this word counter shows words, characters, sentences, reading time and keyword density as you type, plus a Flesch readability score and how much room you have left on X, Instagram and YouTube. The sample below has 81 words and 469 characters, about 20 sec to read. Nothing is uploaded.
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How to use the word counter
- Paste, type or open a file (.txt, .md or Word .docx). Counts update as you type.
- Set a goal if you need a minimum or target length, such as a 1,500-word article or a 250-word essay.
- Check readability and shorten long sentences if the score is below 60.
- Check keyword density to spot repeated words, and type your focus keyword to see if it appears early.
- Check the limits before posting to X, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube.
How keyword density is calculated
Density is the share of all words taken up by a word or phrase: times used × words in the phrase ÷ total words × 100. In a 500-word article, a two-word phrase used 5 times has a density of 2%. Phrases that start or end with a common word (the, and, yang, dan…) are skipped so the table shows topic words.
| Score | Reading level |
|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | Very easy |
| 80 to 89 | Easy |
| 70 to 79 | Fairly easy |
| 60 to 69 | Plain English |
| 50 to 59 | Fairly difficult |
| 30 to 49 | Difficult |
| 0 to 29 | Very difficult |
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Character limits by platform
| Where | Characters |
|---|---|
| SMS (one message) | 160 (70 if the text has emoji or non-Latin letters) |
| X post (free account) | 280 |
| YouTube title | 100 |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 |
| YouTube description | 5,000 |
TikTok is left out because published figures disagree (2,200 or 4,000 characters); check the app. Paid X accounts allow longer posts.
Disclaimer: counts follow common rules and may differ slightly from Word or Google Docs on unusual text (URLs, code, emoji). Platform limits change; this page lists figures confirmed on 2026-10-17.
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Frequently asked questions
How does the word counter count words?
A word is a run of letters or digits in any language, so contractions such as isn't, hyphenated words such as e-mail and numbers such as 3.5 count once. Punctuation, emoji and spaces are not words. The sample text on this page has 81 words and 469 characters. Counts update as you type and match Microsoft Word for ordinary prose.
How long does it take to read or say my text?
Reading time divides the words by 238 per minute, the average silent reading speed for non-fiction found in a 2019 review of 190 studies, so 1,000 words take about 4.2 minutes. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a normal conversational pace, so a 750-word speech lasts about 5 minutes. Slow down for presentations: many speakers aim for 120 to 140 words a minute.
What is a good keyword density for SEO?
There is no magic number: Google ranks pages on usefulness, not on a keyword percentage. Use your main phrase naturally, ideally in the title, the first 100 words and a heading, and use related words and synonyms elsewhere. Densities above about 3% usually read as repetitive. The density table shows which words and phrases you repeat most, with common English and Malay words such as the, and, yang and dan left out.
What is the Flesch reading ease score?
A 0 to 100 score from average sentence length and syllables per word: 206.835 minus 1.015 × words per sentence minus 84.6 × syllables per word. 60 to 70 is plain English that most adults read easily; 90 and above suits children; below 30 is academic. The Flesch-Kincaid grade turns the same inputs into a US school grade. Both formulas are designed for English, so treat scores for Malay text as rough.
How many characters can I use on X, Instagram and YouTube?
An X post allows 280 characters on a free account, an Instagram caption 2,200, a LinkedIn post 3,000, a YouTube title 100 and a YouTube description 5,000. One SMS holds 160 characters, or 70 if the message contains emoji or non-Latin letters. The limits table shows how many characters you have left for each.
Can I count words in a Word document?
Yes. Choose Open file and pick a .docx, .txt or .md file; the text is read in your browser and counted at once. Old .doc files must be saved as .docx first. You can also paste text copied from Google Docs, a PDF or a web page.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
Your text is never uploaded. The page keeps your last text in this browser's local storage so it is still there if you reload, and Clear removes it. For several long documents with version history, use the Online Notepad, which shows the same counts.
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