# Word & Character Counter Canonical URL: https://offlineutils.com/word-counter Category: Text & Content Published: 2026-06-24 Publisher: offlineutils.com Runs entirely in the browser; nothing entered into the tool is uploaded. > A Word Counter analyses any block of text and instantly reports the word count, character count (with and without spaces), sentence count, paragraph count, and estimated reading and speaking times — all calculated in your browser as you type. Paste an article, essay, social post, or any text and watch the metrics update on every keystroke. Reading time is estimated at 238 words per minute (the average adult reading rate in 2026 research). Speaking time is estimated at 150 words per minute. Includes per-platform character-limit indicators for X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and SMS so you know where your content stands. ## Features - Live counts for words, characters (with and without spaces), sentences, and paragraphs - Reading time estimate at 238 wpm (peer-reviewed adult silent reading rate) - Speaking time estimate at 150 wpm - Per-platform character-limit indicators for X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and SMS - Grapheme-cluster-aware counting so emoji and CJK do not double-count ## Use cases - Hitting a word count target for an essay or article - Checking whether a tweet, LinkedIn post, or SMS fits the platform limit - Estimating how long a presentation script will take to read aloud - Spotting empty paragraphs and runaway sentences in a draft ## How to use it 1. **Paste your text** — Paste anything — an essay, social post, transcript — into the editor. 2. **Read the metrics** — Counts and reading-time estimates update on every keystroke. 3. **Pick a platform** — Toggle the X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, or SMS indicator to see if you are inside the character limit. ## When to use it, and when to use something else - **vs Word's built-in word count** — use Word & Character Counter when the text is in a browser tab, email, or chat instead of an open document. Use Word's built-in word count when you are already in Word and want it built into the document. - **vs `wc -w` in the terminal** — use Word & Character Counter when you also want platform character limits, reading time, and sentence/paragraph counts. Use `wc -w` in the terminal when you are scripting and want a single integer. ## Frequently asked questions ### How is reading time calculated? Reading time = word count divided by 238 (the median adult silent reading rate per peer-reviewed reading research). We round up so a 100-word post still shows ~1 minute. ### Does it count words inside code blocks or URLs? Yes. Any sequence of non-whitespace characters separated by whitespace counts as a word. If you want raw character throughput, the no-space character count is more useful. ### Does the counter run offline? Yes. The entire analysis is performed locally via plain string operations. Nothing about your text leaves the page. ## Related tools - https://offlineutils.com/case-converter - https://offlineutils.com/social-preview - https://offlineutils.com/pdf-extract-text