inyourbrowser.com

Word counter

Word counter is a text tool that counts words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs in any text. It updates live as you type, estimates reading time, and supports per-selection statistics for measuring sections in isolation. The tool runs in your browser.

Text input

COUNT

Runs entirely in your browser

Dedicated pages

Direct links for each count type.

Word count
Count the number of words in any text instantly. Paste your text and get an accurate word count. All processing runs in your browser.
Character count
Count characters in your text instantly, including spaces and punctuation. Ideal for social media posts, bios, and form field limits.
Characters (no spaces)
Count characters excluding spaces and whitespace. Great for checking keyword density or comparing raw text lengths.
Sentence count
Count the number of sentences in your text. Useful for readability analysis, academic writing, and content editing.
Paragraph count
Count the number of paragraphs in your text. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines, matching the standard word-processor definition.
Word count for essays
Check the word count of your essay against common academic word limits. Counts words, characters, and paragraphs instantly in your browser.
Word count for SEO content
Check the word count of your blog posts, landing pages, or articles for SEO. See how your content length compares to what ranks for your target topic.
Essay Word Counter
Count words in your essay against assignment limits directly in your browser. Live updates as you type, free and private.

How to count words in text

  1. Paste or type your text into the input area.
  2. The word count, character count, sentence count, and reading time update instantly as you type.
  3. Review the statistics in the summary bar.
  4. Clear the input to start a fresh count.

Common uses

  • Checking that a blog post, essay, or article meets a specific word count requirement, then check the readability score to ensure the text is accessible
  • Estimating reading time before publishing content online
  • Counting characters for social media posts with strict character limits, use Lorem Ipsum generator to fill a template before you have real copy

Technical specification

  • Algorithm or formula: Words = sequences split by whitespace regex (/\s+/). Sentences = splits on terminating punctuation (.!?). Paragraphs = splits on blank lines. Reading time = words / 225 wpm (mid-range adult average).
  • Browser API or library: Pure JavaScript with native string methods and regular expressions. Uses Selection API to recompute statistics for highlighted text.
  • Input limits: No hard cap; tested with documents up to 1 MB without delay.
  • Output: Word, character (with and without spaces), sentence, paragraph counts and estimated reading time. Selection-aware.
  • Known limitations: Word definition is whitespace-based; punctuation-attached tokens (e.g., "well-known") count as one word. Sentence detection is heuristic and may misjudge abbreviations like "Mr." or "e.g.".

Frequently asked questions

Is my text sent to a server?
No. All counting happens in your browser.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated at 200 to 250 words per minute, a standard adult reading speed for on-screen content.
What counts as a word?
A word is any sequence of characters separated by whitespace. Hyphenated words count as one word. Numbers count as words.
Can I count words in a specific section?
Select any portion of text in the input area and the statistics update to reflect just your selection.

Reviewed and tested May 26, 2026.