Character counter
Count characters with and without spaces, plus words, sentences and paragraphs.
Type below, or choose a file
PDF, Word (.docx) or text file. Drop it here or choose it.
Counted on this device. Your text and files never leave it. Counting never uses a free download.
Counts
- Characters
- 0
- Characters without spaces
- 0
- Words
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Reading time
- None
How to do it
- Type or paste your text, or choose a PDF, Word or text file.
- Read the counts. They change as you type.
- Choose another file, or clear the text to start again.
Questions and answers
Do spaces count as characters?
Both counts are shown. Characters includes spaces and tabs; Characters without spaces leaves them out. Line breaks are not counted in either. An accented letter counts as one character.
How are words counted?
A word is a run of letters or numbers between spaces, so "well-known" and "1,250" are one word each. A dash or dots on their own are not counted. Each Chinese, Japanese or Korean character counts as one word.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Counting happens in your browser, on this device. Your text and files never leave it.
Does counting use a free download?
No. Counting is free and nothing is downloaded.
How are sentences and paragraphs counted?
A paragraph is a line with text on it. A sentence ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, or at the end of a line. Titles such as Mr. and Dr., and short forms such as e.g., do not end a sentence.
How is reading time worked out?
At 238 words a minute, the average for adults reading silently.
Which files can I count?
PDFs with text, Word documents (.docx) and text files (.txt). For a scanned PDF, use Make a scanned PDF searchable first. For an older Word file (.doc), save it as .docx first.