How do I count words in a text?
To count words, paste your text into FixDoks's Word Counter. It shows words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time and speaking time instantly as you type, with no length limit. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. Scroll down to see keyword density, the words you repeat most in your text.
Word Counter at a glance
| Input | Typed or pasted text, any length |
|---|---|
| Output | Word, character, sentence and paragraph counts, reading and speaking time |
| Processing | In your browser; your files are not uploaded |
| Price | Free |
| Works on | Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone |
How to use Word Counter
- Type in the box or paste your text (Ctrl+V or long-press and Paste on a phone).
- The counts update instantly: words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading and speaking time.
- Scroll down to Keyword density to see which words you repeat most.
- Use Copy text to take your edited text back to your document.
What does this word counter measure?
Paste an essay, a blog post, a cover letter or a WhatsApp message and FixDoks counts it while you type. There is no button to press and no limit on length. Here is what each number means:
- Words: groups of letters or numbers separated by spaces or punctuation. "Don't" counts as one word and "2026" counts as one word. Hindi, Marathi and other languages that use spaces between words are counted correctly too.
- Characters: every letter, number, space and symbol. Emoji and combined characters such as Hindi conjuncts are counted the way you see them, as one character each.
- Characters without spaces: the same count with all spaces, tabs and line breaks removed. Some forms and translation quotes use this figure.
- Sentences: text ending in a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or the Hindi danda (।).
- Paragraphs: blocks of text separated by a blank line.
Reading time and speaking time
Reading time assumes about 225 words per minute, a common average for adults reading everyday non-fiction on a screen. Speaking time assumes about 130 words per minute, which is a comfortable pace for a speech or presentation. A 1,000 word article therefore takes roughly four and a half minutes to read and just under eight minutes to say out loud. Use the speaking time to check if your speech fits a 5 minute slot before you rehearse it.
Keyword density
The keyword table lists the words you use most and what share of all words they make up. Common words such as "the", "and" and "of" are hidden by default so that the real topic words stand out. Untick the option to see every word. For SEO, there is no magic percentage. If one word goes above 3 to 4 percent, the text usually reads as repetitive, so try a synonym or rewrite the sentence.
Common word limits
| Writing task | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Tweet / X post | 280 characters |
| Meta description for Google | about 150 to 160 characters |
| College application essay (Common App) | up to 650 words |
| Blog post | 800 to 2,000 words |
| Cover letter | 250 to 400 words |
School and university limits vary, so always follow the number your teacher or the exam board gives. Many teachers allow 10 percent above or below the limit, but check before you rely on that.
Tips for hitting a word count
If you are over the limit, cut filler phrases first: "in order to" becomes "to", "due to the fact that" becomes "because". Then remove sentences that repeat an earlier point. If you are under the limit, add an example, a number or a short quote rather than padding with long words. The average words per sentence figure helps here: if it is above 25, split some sentences to make the text easier to read.