Word counter and character counter
Type or paste your text: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and reading time update as you write.
Goal
Character limits
Most frequent words
- They will appear here.
Your text stays on your device: it is never sent to Nation. Too long? Tom shortens it. Typos? Antoine fixes them.
Count the words in your text at a glance
Nation’s word counter works live, as you type or as soon as you paste a text. It counts:
- words, the way Microsoft Word does, with an option for hyphenated words;
- characters, with and without spaces;
- sentences and paragraphs;
- reading time and speaking time, for a talk, a presentation or a video;
- pages, single-spaced and double-spaced;
- the words you repeat most, so you can spot repetitions.
You can also set a word goal, for example 1,500 words for an essay, and watch your progress. Or check at a glance whether your text fits in a text message, an X post, an Instagram bio or a meta description.
It’s free, with no sign-up and no length limit. Everything is counted in your browser: your text is never sent to Nation.
How the word counter counts
A word is a string of characters between two spaces that contains at least one letter or digit. That’s the rule used by Word and Google Docs, with one useful difference.
- Stray punctuation is not counted. A dash or an exclamation mark surrounded by spaces is not a word here.
- “don’t” and “it’s” count as 1 word, as in Word.
- “well-known” counts as 1 word. Tick “well-known = 2 words” if your assignment counts hyphenated words separately.
- Numbers count as words: “2026” and “1,500” are 1 word each.
Line breaks are not counted as characters. The “without spaces” total also leaves out non-breaking spaces.
How many characters for a text message, a post or a meta description?
The counter checks your text against the most common limits:
| Format | Limit |
|---|---|
| Text message (SMS) | 160 characters, or 70 with an emoji or a special character such as a curly apostrophe |
| X post (formerly Twitter) | 280 characters |
| SEO title | about 60 characters before Google cuts it off |
| Meta description | about 155 characters |
| Instagram bio | 150 characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
Past 160 characters, a text message is split into several messages.
How many words is a page?
It depends on the font, the size and the line spacing. With a 12-point font, a single-spaced page holds about 500 words, and a double-spaced page about 250. The counter shows both, as estimates.
Reading time and speaking time
Reading time is based on an average silent reading speed of 238 words per minute. Speaking time uses 150 words per minute, a comfortable pace for a speech, a presentation or a video. For a 5-minute talk, aim for about 750 words.
Text too long or full of typos?
The counter never changes your text. To rework it, Nation’s AI assistants can help:
- Tom rephrases and shortens a text without changing its meaning;
- Antoine fixes spelling and grammar;
- Marion makes AI-written text sound more natural.
Frequently asked questions
Is the word counter free?
Yes. It’s free, with no sign-up and no length limit. Use it as often as you like, on a computer or on your phone.
Is my text sent or saved anywhere?
No. The counting happens in your browser: your text is never sent to Nation. It’s only kept in your browser so you don’t lose it if you reload the page. The “Clear” button deletes it.
Why doesn’t Word show the same word count?
The difference almost always comes from punctuation: some programs count a dash or a symbol surrounded by spaces as a word, this counter doesn’t. Also check the “well-known = 2 words” option: unticked, the counter follows Word’s rule.
Do contractions like “don’t” count as one word?
Yes. “Don’t”, “it’s” and “you’re” each count as one word, as in Word and Google Docs.
How do I count characters without spaces?
Paste your text: the “without spaces” total appears at the top, next to the character count with spaces. It leaves out spaces, non-breaking spaces and line breaks.
How many words is a page?
About 500 words single-spaced and about 250 double-spaced, with a 12-point font. The counter shows both as estimates.
How many characters fit in a text message?
160 characters if the text only uses the standard SMS alphabet. With an emoji, a curly apostrophe or some special characters, the limit drops to 70: the counter tells you automatically.
Text too long or need a rewrite?
Tom AIRephrase a text