Word and character counter
Words, characters, pages and SMS
- Characters with spaces
- 0
- Characters without spaces
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Standard pages (1,800 characters)
- 0
- Reading time
- 0
- SMS messages
- 0
Worked out in your browser. No sign-up.
Paste or type your text and the word counter shows words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs as you go. It also gives standard pages of 1,800 characters, reading time and the number of SMS messages. One SMS holds 160 characters, but only 70 if the text contains an emoji or letters such as č or ž.
How it works
A word is any run of letters or digits between spaces. A dash or ellipsis standing on its own isn't a word, while “e-mail” and “VAT-registered” count as one. A sentence ends with a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis, so abbreviations such as “e.g.” can push the sentence count up.
A standard page is 1,800 characters including spaces. Reading time assumes 200 words a minute.
Worked example
“Running late, meet you outside the post office at 6” is 51 characters and fits in one SMS. Add “😊” and the whole message switches to the 70-character limit. Add one more sentence and it goes as two texts.
A 3,000-word university essay in English comes to about 18,000 characters with spaces. That's around 10 standard pages, the unit many translators and proofreaders in Europe charge by.
Questions people ask
Do spaces count as characters?
In the “with spaces” figure, yes: every space and line break is one character. When a form says “maximum 2,000 characters” and gives no detail, it usually means with spaces.
How many words are on one A4 page?
Roughly 400 to 500 words in a 12-point font with single spacing. With 1.5 line spacing it's nearer 300.
Why does Word give a slightly different count?
Word treats dashes, numbers and some symbols differently. A gap of a few words on a long text is normal. In Word, click the word count in the status bar at the bottom left to see the full figures.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Counting happens in your browser and the text stays on your device.
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Updated: 13 November 2026