Tinker 
How to use the word counter
Paste or type your text into the box. Counts update instantly: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs. Adjust the reading speed if you know your audience reads faster or slower than the 200 words per minute default.
It is handy for essays with word limits, social posts with character limits, meta descriptions, cover letters and timing a speech.
How the counts are worked out
Words are runs of characters separated by spaces, tabs or line breaks, so 'well-known' counts as one word. Characters include every letter, digit, punctuation mark and space; the no-spaces figure removes all whitespace, including line breaks.
Sentences are pieces of text ending in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark (repeated marks like '?!' or '...' count once); a final fragment without punctuation still counts. Paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line.
Reading time = words ÷ reading speed, shown in minutes and seconds. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, a typical pace for presentations.
Worked example
The text 'Hello world. This is a test.' has 6 words, 28 characters with spaces and 23 without (it contains 5 spaces). It has 2 sentences and 1 paragraph.
At 200 words per minute, reading takes 6 ÷ 200 × 60 = 1.8 seconds, rounded to 0 min 2 sec. Spoken at 130 words per minute it takes 6 ÷ 130 × 60 ≈ 2.8 seconds, shown as 0 min 3 sec.
Tips
Different programs count slightly differently, especially around hyphens, dashes, numbers and abbreviations such as 'e.g.', which this tool may split into extra sentences. Reading and speaking times are estimates; dense technical text reads slower, and speakers pause.
Frequently asked questions
Do spaces count as characters?
Usually yes. Many platforms with character limits count spaces, so check the 'with spaces' figure. Some school or publishing limits exclude them, which is why both counts are shown.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
At a typical 130 words per minute, about 650 words. Faster speakers manage 150–160 words per minute.
How fast does the average adult read?
Silent reading for typical non-fiction is roughly 200–250 words per minute. Skimming is faster; studying difficult material can be much slower.
Are hyphenated words one word or two?
This counter treats 'mother-in-law' as one word because there are no spaces inside it, which matches most word processors.