Word Count + Reading Time
Count words, characters, paragraphs, and sentences in any pasted text, plus reading time at 250 / 200 / 150 WPM.
Result
How to use this calculator
- Paste any text into the box.
- Read the headline word count and the estimated reading time.
- Adjust the WPM slider for the audience: ~250 silent reading, ~150 for audiobook narration, ~400 for speed-scanning.
- Use the per-statistic breakdown for editorial-target verification (SEO copy, Twitter limits, etc.).
About this calculator
Editors and writers reach for a word-counter dozens of times a day — for assignment limits, SEO targets (Google recommends ~1,500-word long-form content), social-media size caps, and reading-time labels. This tool gives you the full suite at once: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, lines, and reading time at a configurable WPM. The Flesch reading-ease estimate is a rough hint at audience accessibility — proper Flesch needs an exact syllable count which is approximated here from average word length.
How it works — the formula
words = |{ tokens by whitespace where token contains letter or digit }|
reading_time = words / wpm (min)
flesch ≈ 206.835 − 1.015·(words/sentences) − 84.6·(syllables/words)Word counting is straightforward tokenisation; the interesting numbers are derived. Reading time uses a published mean WPM (Brysbaert 2019). Flesch is a 1948 readability formula still widely used; it requires syllables which are approximated here.
Worked examples
- Inputs:
- 20 words, 130 chars
- Output:
- ~5s read at 250 wpm
- Inputs:
- 200 words
- Output:
- ~48s at 250 wpm
- Inputs:
- 1500 words
- Output:
- ~6 min at 250 wpm
Limitations
- Sentence detection is regex-based — abbreviations (Dr., U.S., etc.) can split a sentence wrongly.
- Flesch estimate uses average word length as a syllable proxy; not publication-grade.
- Word definition matches Microsoft Word convention; specialist counts (CJK character count, etc.) need a dedicated tool.
All counting runs entirely in your browser — no text is uploaded or stored.
Frequently asked
How is "word" defined here?+
Why is the reading time so short / so long?+
How accurate is the Flesch reading ease estimate?+
Does my text leave the browser?+
How are sentences counted?+
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