Word Counter
Paste your draft for a live word count, page estimate, and reading time.
About Word Counter
Paste an essay, assignment, or article draft to get a live word count plus page estimates (single- and double-spaced), characters, paragraphs, and reading time. Built for writers who must hit a word limit. For sentence count and average sentence length, use the Sentence Counter.
How to Use Word Counter
- Paste or type your draft into the box.
- Watch the word count update live.
- Check page estimates and reading time under the word total.
- Trim or expand until you hit the required word count.
Word Counter Formula
Words are split on spaces and line breaks. Page estimates use ~250 words/page double-spaced and ~500 words/page single-spaced (12 pt, 1-inch margins). Reading time uses 200 words per minute.
Word Counter Examples
500-word essay
About 1 page double-spaced or ~0.5 page single-spaced.
1,000 words
About 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced.
1,500-word article
Roughly 7–8 minutes reading time at 200 wpm.
Common Use Cases
- College and school essay word limits
- SEO article length targets
- Abstracts capped at 150–300 words
- Converting word count to approximate pages
Read the full guide
How to Use Word Counter: Complete Guide (2026) - 5 min read
Frequently Asked Questions about Word Counter
- How does the word counter count words?
- It splits on spaces, tabs, and line breaks and counts non-empty chunks. Hyphenated words count as one word.
- Word counter vs sentence counter?
- This page leads with word count and pages for essays and assignments. The Sentence Counter leads with sentence totals and words-per-sentence for readability.
- How many pages is 1,000 words?
- About 2 pages single-spaced or 4 pages double-spaced in a standard 12 pt font with 1-inch margins. The live grid updates both figures as you paste.
- Is my text private?
- Yes. Counting runs in your browser — drafts are not uploaded.
- Does it count characters too?
- Yes, with and without spaces, plus paragraphs. For character limits on social posts, see also the Character Counter.
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