What gets counted
Type or paste text and the tool updates seven metrics live: words, characters with spaces, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, estimated reading time, and estimated speaking time. Below that, a keyword frequency panel shows which substantive words you are using most, after stripping out common filler words.
Words or characters — which limit applies?
These measure different things, and which one matters depends entirely on where the text is going. Getting this wrong is how people write a perfect meta description that gets truncated in search results.
| Where | Counted in | Practical limit |
|---|---|---|
| Google meta description | Characters | 155–160 |
| Google title tag | Characters | 50–60 |
| X / Twitter post | Characters | 280 |
| LinkedIn post | Characters | 3,000 (cut off at ~210) |
| Instagram caption | Characters | 2,200 (cut off at ~125) |
| Essays, articles | Words | As specified |
How reading time is calculated
Reading time divides your word count by an average silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute, a figure drawn from research across many languages. Speaking time uses roughly 130 words per minute, which is a comfortable presentation pace rather than a rushed one.
Both are estimates. Dense technical writing reads slower than narrative prose, and speakers vary widely. They are most useful as relative measures — knowing that a script runs "about nine minutes" is enough to decide whether to cut a section.
What the keyword frequency panel is for
The keyword panel counts how often each meaningful word appears after removing stop words like "the", "a", "is", and "was". The top results are surfaced as a list. Two things this reveals quickly:
- Unintentional repetition. If one word appears far more than you expected, your writing may be leaning on it. This is one of the fastest ways to spot flat prose.
- Topic coverage. If you wrote a page about a subject and that subject barely registers in the frequency list, the page probably is not as focused as you thought.
This is a lightweight editing check, not keyword research. It tells you what your text emphasises; it does not tell you what people are searching for.
How long should a blog post be?
There is no universal number, and word count alone does not rank a page. For competitive informational queries, thorough posts in the 1,500–3,000 word range tend to perform well because they cover the topic completely. For a narrow, specific question, 500–800 tightly written words can outrank a padded 3,000-word article. The useful approach is to look at what already ranks for your target query, match that depth, and then add something the existing results do not have. More on this in word count and SEO and word count vs character count.
Privacy
Your text stays in the textarea. Nothing is transmitted, stored, or logged — the counting happens in your browser as you type, which makes it safe for drafts, client work, and unpublished writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is reading time calculated?
By dividing word count by an average silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute. Speaking time uses roughly 130 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace.
Do spaces count as characters?
It depends on the limit you are working to, which is why the tool shows both totals — with spaces and without. Social platforms usually count spaces; some form fields do not.
Is my text saved anywhere?
No. Counting happens live in your browser and the text is never transmitted or stored, so it is safe for unpublished drafts and client work.
What is a good meta description length?
Around 155-160 characters. Longer descriptions get truncated with an ellipsis in Google's search results, so the key message should come first.