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Word Counter
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Add this free word counter to your website. No sign-up required.
💡 Expert Tips
Word Count vs Character Count
Teachers want word count. Twitter wants character count. College applications? Usually character limits (like 650 chars for Common App essays). Know which one matters for your task. Don't write 500 words when they asked for 500 characters (that's embarrassing).
The "About 500 Words" Trick
When your teacher says "about 500 words," they usually mean 450-550. Not 380. Not 720. Aim for the exact target, give or take 10%. Being at 487 words? You're good. Being at 623? Cut it down.
Hyphens Count Weird
"Twenty-one" is one word. "Twenty one" is two words. "Email" is one word. "E-mail" might count as one or two depending on the counter. This tool treats hyphenated words as one word. If you need to hit anextact count, avoid hyphens or test them first.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Trusting Social Media Character Counts
Twitter says 280 characters. But emojis count as 2. URLs get shortened. Mentions get weird. Don't paste a 280-character tweet here and assume it'll fit. Test it in the actual platform.
Forgetting Headers and Titles
If your teacher wants "500 words," they usually mean the body text. Not the title. Not your name at the top. Copy just the essay part, not the whole document. Otherwise you're padding your count with stuff that doesn't count.
Numbers and Symbols
"2023" counts as 1 word. "$1,000" counts as 1 word. "H2O" counts as 1 word. Some people think numbers don't count. They do. Every separated chunk of text is a word.
📖 Understanding Word Counting
Need to know how many words you wrote? Paste your text. The counter updates live. Shows words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs. No clicking required.
This is literally what teachers use to check if you hit the word count. Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and this tool all count the same way.
What Counts as a Word?
A "word" is any chunk of text separated by spaces. Simple as that.
- "Hello" = 1 word
- "Hello world" = 2 words
- "Hello-world" = 1 word (hyphenated)
- "2024" = 1 word (numbers count)
- "U.S.A." = 1 word (acronyms count)
What About Characters?
Every letter, number, space, and punctuation mark counts. "Hi!" is 3 characters (H, i, !). "Hello world" is 11 characters (h-e-l-l-o-space-w-o-r-l-d).
Character counts matter for:
- Twitter/X – 280 character limit
- Instagram captions – 2,200 character limit
- Text messages (SMS) – 160 characters before it splits
- Meta descriptions (SEO) – About 155-160 characters
- College app essays – Often have character limits
Common Use Cases
- School essays – Teachers always give word counts (500 words, 1000 words, etc.)
- Blog posts – SEO experts recommend 1500-2000 words for rankings
- Social media – Every platform has limits (Twitter 280, LinkedIn 3000)
- Abstracts and summaries – Academic papers often cap abstracts at 250 words
- Resume optimization – Keep it under 500 words or one page
Why Word Count Matters
Word count isn't just arbitrary. There's psychology behind it:
- Essays – 500 words shows you can organize thoughts. 2000 words shows depth.
- Blog posts – Google ranks longer content higher (1500+ words tends to perform better)
- Social media – Shorter is better. People scroll fast. Get to the point.
- Emails – Under 125 words gets the best response rate (people won't read long emails)
Pro Tips for Writers
If you're writing to hit a specific count:
- Too long? Cut fluff words like "very," "really," "basically," "actually"
- Too short? Add examples, quotes, or data to support your points
- Close but not exact? Within 10% is usually fine for "about X words" assignments
- Need precise count? This tool matches Word/Docs exactly. Use it.