Crunch Free Word Counter
Paste or type your text below — word count, character count, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time update live as you type.
How it works
Words are counted as groups of non-whitespace characters. Sentences split on . ! ? punctuation, paragraphs split on blank lines, and reading time assumes an average adult pace of 200 words per minute. All counting happens in your browser — your text never leaves the page.
Method & worked example
Method: Words are counted as runs of non-whitespace characters — the rule most word processors use. Characters are counted with and without spaces, sentences are split on ., ! and ?, paragraphs on blank lines, and reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute.
Worked example: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” counts as 9 words, 44 characters (36 without spaces) and 1 sentence — about 3 seconds of reading time.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a word?
Any group of characters separated by spaces or line breaks — "don't" counts as one word, "well-known" counts as one word. This matches how most editors and word processors count.
How is reading time calculated?
Word count ÷ 200 words per minute, the widely used average adult reading speed. A 1,000-word article reads as about 5 minutes.
What are common word limits I should know?
A tweet/X post allows 280 characters. College application essays are often 250–650 words. Blog posts perform best around 1,000–2,000 words, and a typical novel runs 70,000–100,000 words.