Word and character limits are everywhere: school essays, job applications, meta descriptions, tweets and ad copy. Going over the limit can mean a rejected application or a cut-off message. A word counter shows you exactly where you stand while you write.
What a word counter measures
- Words for essays, articles and applications.
- Characters (with and without spaces) for social posts, SMS and SEO tags.
- Sentences and paragraphs to check structure and readability.
- Reading and speaking time for blog posts and speeches.
How to use the Word Counter
- Open the Word Counter.
- Type or paste your text.
- Watch the counts update as you write.
Try it now: Word Counter is free, works in your browser and needs no signup.
Common limits to know
- Google title tag: roughly 50–60 characters before it gets cut off in search results.
- Meta description: roughly 150–160 characters.
- X (Twitter) post: 280 characters for standard accounts.
- SMS: 160 characters per standard message.
- Typical college essay: often 500–650 words, but always check your own instructions.
Limits change over time and differ by platform, so treat these as a guide and follow the official rules for anything important.
Tips for hitting a word limit
When your text is too long
- Remove filler words such as “very”, “really” and “in order to”.
- Replace long phrases with single words (“due to the fact that” becomes “because”).
- Cut repeated points.
When your text is too short
- Add a concrete example or a number.
- Explain why your point matters.
- Answer a question your reader is likely to ask.
Reading time
Most adults read around 200–250 words per minute. A 1,000-word article is about a four to five minute read, which is useful to show at the top of a blog post.
Related tools
Need to fix capital letters? Try the Case Converter. Cleaning a list? Use Remove Duplicate Lines.
Try it now: Word Counter is free, works in your browser and needs no signup.
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