What you enter stays on your device while you use this tool. Opening a shared link sends the settings in its address to HowToolbox to prepare the page.
Your text stays in this browser and is never added to the URL.
Choose a writing target to see the remaining characters.
Writing targets only: X weights some characters; SMS depends on encoding. Search snippets have no fixed character limit.
Words
0
0 characters including spaces
Text in numbers
- Characters without whitespace
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- UTF-8 bytes
- 0
- Estimated reading time
- 0 s
- Estimated speaking time
- 0 s
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Words, characters and reading time as you type.
How to use
- Paste or type your text.
- Read the live word count and character count.
- Choose an optional character target or inspect the other counts.
Reading and speaking time estimates
| Words | Reading (seconds) | Speaking (seconds) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 25 | 33 |
| 250 | 63 | 82 |
| 500 | 126 | 164 |
| 1,000 | 252 | 328 |
| 2,000 | 504 | 656 |
These are fixed-rate estimates, not measurements of your own pace.
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How it works
Characters are counted as visible units, so an accented letter or a joined emoji can be one character. Words and sentences follow Unicode text boundaries in the selected language. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines; lines count actual line breaks, not wrapping on screen.
Estimated time in seconds is words ÷ words per minute × 60. We use 238 words per minute for silent reading and 183 for reading aloud, from Brysbaert’s 2019 review. For example, 238 words takes about one minute to read silently. These English adult averages are rough guides for other languages and individual readers.
Character targets subtract your visible character count from 280, 160 or 155. They are writing aids: X uses weighted counts, SMS capacity depends on encoding, and Google specifies no fixed meta-description length. UTF-8 bytes measure encoded size rather than visible length.
Frequently asked questions
Does my text leave the browser?
No. Counting happens here, and text is neither saved by the tool nor included in the URL.
What does “without whitespace” exclude?
Spaces, tabs and line breaks are excluded. Punctuation and digits still count.
Why can another word counter disagree?
Word boundaries vary with language and punctuation. This counter uses Unicode segmentation and starts with the page language.
Does 160 characters always fit one SMS?
No. GSM-7 messages can fit 160 basic characters, but Unicode messages often fit only 70. This target does not calculate SMS segments.
Is 280 an exact X character count?
No. X weights some characters and handles links specially. Check the final post in X.
Is 155 a required meta-description limit?
No. It is a convenient writing target. Google truncates snippets to fit the device and may choose different text.
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