🧾 Word Counter: Words, Characters, Sentences and Reading Time

How to use it

1. 1. Type or paste your text

   Click in the box and type, or paste an essay, a story or a paragraph from another document. The counts update as you go, so there is nothing to wait for.

2. 2. Read the numbers

   You see words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and the average length of a sentence. Two reading times show how long the text takes to read silently and out loud.

3. 3. Adjust the speed and set a target

   Change the words per minute to suit the reader, since young children read more slowly. Enter a target, such as a word limit for an assignment, to see a progress line fill.

4. 4. Copy or clear

   Copy the text puts it on your clipboard. Clear empties the box so you can start a new piece. Count refreshes the numbers and says them in one line.

Ideas for class and home

• Meeting a writing length

  When an essay has to be about 300 words, set the target and watch the line while you write. Students learn to judge length without counting by hand.

• Measuring a child's writing

  Paste a story a child has typed and look at the average words per sentence. It is a simple way to see sentences grow longer over the year.

• Timing a read-aloud or a speech

  Paste the text of a poem or a talk and use the read-aloud time to plan the slot. Change the speed to match your own pace and test it.

• Checking the length of a copywork passage

  Before you set a passage for copywork or dictation, count its words and sentences. You can pick a passage that suits the child's stamina.