Words, apostrophes, and hyphens
Sequences of Unicode letters or numbers count as words. Internal apostrophes and hyphens stay inside a token, so don't and state-of-the-art each count as one word.
Free word counter · deeper text analysis · no sign up
Free Online Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading time, and more instantly. Analyze keyword frequency and readability, set a writing goal, and keep your draft in your browser.
Runs in your browserLocal draft autosaveNo account required
Words0
Characters0
Sentences0
Paragraphs0
Reading time0 min
Your text
Local draft ready
Processed locally in your browser.
Characters without spaces0
Unique words0
Avg. words / sentence0
Estimated pages0
Lines0
Speaking time0 min
Page estimate basis250 words
AutosaveLocal
Word goal
0 / 1,000 · 0%
Keyword frequency
See the most repeated words and their share of the current draft.
| Word | Count | Density |
|---|---|---|
| Start typing to see frequent words. | ||
Readability
A lightweight English readability estimate for longer drafts.
—Add 10+ English words
Uses Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid grade estimates. Syllable detection is approximate and intended for English text.
Continue with this text
Open another TextBases tool with the current draft carried into the next workspace. The next tool opens in a new tab so this draft stays here.
Character CounterCheck stricter character limits and text length.Open with text →
Word FrequencyExplore a fuller frequency table and repeated terms.Open with text →
Sentence CounterFocus on sentence structure and totals.Open with text →
Reading TimeReview reading-time estimates in a dedicated tool.Open with text →
Case ConverterSwitch capitalization without copying the draft again.Open with text →
Find & ReplaceEdit repeated text and exact matches.Open with text →
Text CleanerClean spacing and messy pasted formatting.Open with text →
Remove Line BreaksFlatten unwanted line breaks while keeping the text.Open with text →
Ready. Type or paste text to start.
How TextBases counts words
The counter uses explicit browser-side rules so you can understand what the numbers mean instead of treating every counter as identical.
Numbers, punctuation, and emoji
Numbers such as 2026 count as words. Standalone punctuation and emoji do not. URLs and email addresses are tokenized into their readable alphanumeric parts rather than treated as one special token.
Unicode text
The primary tokenizer recognizes Unicode letters and numbers, so accented Latin text and many non-English writing systems are counted more reliably than an ASCII-only pattern.
Sentences, paragraphs, and lines
Sentence segmentation uses the browser's internationalization support when available. Blank lines separate paragraphs, while every literal line break contributes to the line count.
Reading, speaking, and pages
Reading time assumes about 225 words per minute, speaking time about 150 words per minute, and the page estimate about 250 words per page. These are planning estimates, not fixed publishing rules.
Readability
For English text, Reading Ease and grade level are estimated from sentence length and approximate syllables. Very short text, names, jargon, and non-English text can make readability estimates less meaningful.
Why word counts can differ between tools
Small differences between TextBases, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and other counters are normal because each product can define word boundaries differently.
Tokenization rules differ
Hyphenated terms, contractions, URLs, numbers, symbols, and mixed-language text can be interpreted differently by different counters.
Document structure matters
Word processors may inspect hidden formatting, footnotes, headers, tables, or document objects that a pasted plain-text counter cannot see.
Use one counter consistently
If a school, publisher, client, or platform specifies a particular counting method, use that method for the final requirement and TextBases for fast browser-side checks.
Word counter FAQ
Is this word counter free?
Yes. The TextBases Word Counter is free to use in your browser without creating an account.
Does TextBases upload my text?
The Word Counter processes normal text input locally in your browser. Your draft can also be saved locally in browser storage so it can be restored after a refresh. Avoid placing highly sensitive information into any online utility.
What counts as a word?
TextBases counts sequences of Unicode letters or numbers and keeps internal apostrophes and hyphens inside the same token. Standalone punctuation and emoji are not counted as words.
Why can word counts differ between tools?
Word processors and counters can use different rules for punctuation, hyphenated terms, URLs, numbers, special characters, document objects, and mixed-language text, so small differences are normal.
How is reading time estimated?
Reading time uses about 225 words per minute. Speaking time uses about 150 words per minute. Both are planning estimates.
How is readability calculated?
For English text, TextBases estimates Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid grade level from sentence length and an approximate syllable count. Treat the result as a practical signal rather than an exact linguistic score.
Helpful word count guides
Guides that explain how to use text metrics in real writing workflows.
