EssayClerkWord counter
Count words, characters with and without whitespace, sentences and paragraphs. Estimate reading and speaking time without uploading your text.
Your text
Counts update as you type. Maximum 100,000 Unicode characters.
Your counts
Add text to see your counts. Nothing is saved automatically.
What counts as a word?
English counting policy v1 counts letter and number sequences. Internal apostrophes and hyphens stay together: “don’t” and “well-being” each count as one word. Emoji and punctuation alone do not count. Other punctuation separates words: “3.14” counts as two, and “https://example.com” counts as three.
Characters are Unicode code points, including spaces and line breaks. CRLF and CR line endings are normalized to LF. A displayed emoji can contain several code points. Paragraphs are nonempty blocks separated by blank lines. Sentence counts are estimates that recognize common titles such as “Dr.”, initials, decimals, and URLs; unusual abbreviations can still affect the count.
A worked example
“Hello world.” contains two words, 12 characters, one sentence, and one paragraph. At 200 words per minute, 400 words take an estimated two minutes to read.
Keep your work
Copy and download export the counts, not your draft. Save your writing separately before closing or refreshing this page.
Also available: GPA calculator and final grade calculator.
Word count, character count and reading time
Start with the part of your assignment that counts toward the limit. If your course excludes the title, reference list, tables or appendices, leave those sections out of the text you paste. EssayClerk counts the text you provide; it cannot decide which sections your lecturer includes.
Use the word total to find room for revision, rather than cutting every long sentence. Remove repeated claims, keep the evidence that supports your argument, and count the revised draft again. For a presentation, adjust the speaking rate and rehearse aloud: the estimate does not include pauses, slides or questions.
Counts can differ between editors because they handle punctuation differently. Here, letters and numbers form words, internal apostrophes and supported hyphens stay within a word, and other punctuation separates tokens. For example, “Students don’t need last-minute edits.” counts as five words. A single line break does not create a new paragraph; a blank line does.
Common questions
How do I count characters without spaces?
Paste or type your text and use the Without whitespace total. It removes spaces, tabs and line breaks from the character count. Both character totals use Unicode code points, so an emoji made of several code points can count more than once.
How long does it take to read 1,000 words?
At 200 words per minute, 1,000 words takes an estimated five minutes. Set your own reading rate to change the estimate. For speaking, use a separate rate and allow for pauses; neither figure measures a real reading or presentation.
Why is the count different from Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
Editors may count URLs, decimal numbers, hyphens and document sections differently. Compare the same selection of text first. If your assignment names a particular editor or submission system, use its count for the final submission.
Are characters the same as words?
No. Characters measure text length, including punctuation and whitespace. EssayClerk counts Unicode code points after normalizing line endings; some emoji contain several code points. Use the word total for a word limit and the character total for a character limit.
Can I upload an essay file?
This tool accepts pasted or typed text, not document uploads. Copy the relevant text from your editor. Refreshing the page clears it, so keep your original document and save your edits there.