Free Word Counter

Reading time is estimated using an average silent reading speed of 225 words per minute, which is typical for adult readers of online content. We divide your total word count by 225 and format the result as minutes and seconds. Speaking time uses a slower pace of 130 words per minute, the average for clear, conversational speech or presentations.

A word is any sequence of characters separated by whitespace (spaces, tabs, or line breaks). The counter splits your text on whitespace and counts the resulting non-empty segments. Numbers, hyphenated terms, and contractions each count as a single word. This matches how most word processors and content management systems tally word count.

There is no single magic number, but in-depth content tends to perform better. Blog posts that rank well often run 1,500 words or more because they cover a topic comprehensively, which both Google and AI answer engines reward. Focus on fully answering the query rather than hitting a word target. Thin pages under a few hundred words rarely earn citations or rankings.

Keyword density is the percentage of total words that a specific term represents. It is useful for spotting whether your writing is naturally focused on a topic. However, you should not chase a target density. Modern search engines and AI models understand context and synonyms, so writing naturally for your reader matters far more than repeating a phrase. Use the density view to catch unintentional repetition, not to stuff keywords.