How each number is measured
- Words
- Runs of characters separated by whitespace. A hyphenated compound counts once.
- Characters
- Every character including spaces and line breaks. Emoji count as one.
- Sentences
- Text ending in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Abbreviations, decimals and web addresses are excluded, so 3.14 and e.g. do not split a sentence.
- Paragraphs
- Runs of text between line breaks. Blank lines are not counted.
- Reading time
- Words divided by 238 a minute, the measured average for silent reading of English prose.
- Speaking time
- Words divided by 130 a minute, ordinary presentation delivery.
Common length limits
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Search result title tag | 60 characters |
| Meta description | 155 characters |
| X post | 280 characters |
| Bluesky post | 300 characters |
| SMS, single message | 160 characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| UCAS personal statement | 4,000 characters |
| YouTube description | 5,000 characters |
Questions
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. The counting runs in your browser. The text never leaves the page, so there is no request to a server and nothing to store or delete afterwards.
How are sentences counted?
A sentence is text ending in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Abbreviations such as Dr. and e.g., decimals such as 3.14, and web addresses are excluded first, so they do not inflate the count.
Does a hyphenated word count as one word or two?
One. Words are runs of characters separated by whitespace, which is the same rule word processors apply, so the number matches what an editor or marker will see.
How is reading time calculated?
Words divided by 238 a minute, the average for silent reading of English prose reported across reading studies. Technical material runs slower and light fiction faster.