Word Counter

Paste text. Get word, character, paragraph, sentence, and manuscript-page counts. Everything is calculated in your browser — the text is never sent anywhere.

What each number means

• Words. Any run of non-whitespace characters separated by whitespace. Matches what Word, Google Docs, and most editors use as their default count.
• Characters (with spaces). The raw length. Useful when a submission guideline caps a bio or pitch at, say, 500 characters.
• Characters (no spaces). Same, with whitespace excluded. A few publications use this for word-adjacent limits.
• Sentences. Approximated from terminal punctuation. Abbreviations like "Dr." and "e.g." will skew this slightly; treat it as a guide, not gospel.
• Paragraphs. Blocks separated by one or more blank lines.
• Average sentence length. Words per sentence. If this creeps above 25 or so, it can signal prose that needs a pass for variation and pacing.
• Manuscript pages. A traditional estimate using 250 words per page, the convention that underlies standard double-spaced manuscript format. A 75,000-word novel comes to about 300 pages by this measure — your typeset book page count will differ.
• Reading time (silent). At roughly 250 words per minute for average adult silent reading. A long essay of 4,000 words clocks in around 16 minutes.
• Reading time (aloud). At roughly 130 words per minute, a steady reading pace for a live audience. A 10-minute reading slot is about 1,300 words.

When word count matters

Professional submission guidelines often specify word-count ranges, and going significantly over is a red flag to editors and agents. Common markers to keep in mind:

• Flash fiction is usually under 1,000 words, sometimes under 500.
• Short stories for most literary magazines run 1,000–6,000 words, with 3,500–5,000 the typical sweet spot.
• Novelette territory is roughly 7,500–17,500 words; novella, 17,500–40,000.
• Adult novels typically run 70,000–100,000 words, with genre-specific norms (cozy mystery shorter, epic fantasy longer).
• Middle grade runs roughly 20,000–55,000 words; young adult, 50,000–90,000.
• Picture-book texts are usually well under 1,000 words, often under 500.

These are norms, not laws — but agents and editors use them as sanity checks. A first novel that comes in at 180,000 words suggests the writer hasn't read the market.