How to Count Words and Characters

Learn how word counters typically count words, characters, sentences and lines.

What counts as a word?

A typical word counter separates text into groups using whitespace. Punctuation can remain attached to the word, so different applications may count unusual symbols or hyphenated terms slightly differently.

Words vs characters

A character count includes letters, numbers, punctuation and spaces. A no-spaces count removes whitespace before counting, which is useful when a form or platform specifies a character limit.

Check the final text

Paste the version you actually plan to submit or publish. Line breaks, punctuation and copied formatting can affect the count.

Try it

Use the Word Counter for words, characters, sentences and lines, or the Character Counter for a focused character count.