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Word Counter
Paste anything and get the counts writers actually need: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, unique words, the words you use most, and reading time.
Most used words
How to use the Word Counter
- Paste or type your text. Every count updates as you write.
- Use the character counts for platform limits and the word count for briefs and quotes.
- Check unique words against total words; a low ratio in a long piece usually means repetition.
- Scan the most used words. If your subject is not near the top, the piece may have drifted.
A word counter is the most basic writing tool and one of the most used, because almost every piece of content has a length constraint: a brief specifies words, a platform caps characters, a client pays per word. This one counts words the way most editors do (sequences of letters and numbers, with hyphenated words counted once), characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs separated by a blank line, and the number of distinct words.
The extras are the useful part. Unique words against total words is a rough repetition score: a 1,000 word article with 250 unique words is saying the same things repeatedly. The most used words list, with common function words removed, shows what the piece is actually about in its own vocabulary, which is a quick check that the draft matches the brief.
Counts can differ slightly from a word processor’s because tools disagree on hyphens, numbers and contractions. Differences of one percent are normal.
Frequently asked questions
How does the tool count words?
A word is any run of letters, numbers or apostrophes, so ‘well-known’ counts as one word and ‘2026’ counts as one. Most editors and word processors count the same way, with minor differences on hyphens.
Why is the character count different from my phone or platform?
Some platforms count certain emoji or URL characters differently. This tool counts each visible character once. Leave a small margin for platform limits.
What counts as a paragraph?
A block of text separated from the next by a blank line. Single line breaks inside a block do not start a new paragraph.
What is a good unique word ratio?
There is no fixed number, but in a 1,000 word article, fewer than 300 unique words usually signals repetition. Short pieces naturally score higher.
Is my text stored?
No. Everything runs in your browser.