Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs instantly as you type.
Word count is one of the most important metrics for writers, students, and content creators. Whether you are hitting a minimum requirement for an essay, staying within a publisher's submission limit, or optimising a web page for SEO, understanding word counts helps you produce better-targeted content.
Word count targets by content type: Blog posts that rank well in search engines typically fall between 1,500 and 2,500 words for competitive topics, though shorter posts of 600–900 words can rank well for low-competition queries. Academic essays range widely: a high school essay might be 500–1,000 words, while a university dissertation runs 10,000–100,000 words. Short stories are typically 1,000–7,500 words, novellas 17,500–40,000, and novels 70,000–100,000 words. News articles usually run 300–800 words.
Reading time estimates: The average adult reads prose at approximately 238 words per minute (wpm) for silent reading. Technical content, academic text, or unfamiliar material is read more slowly — around 150–200 wpm. Recreational fiction is often read faster, around 250–300 wpm. Our reading time estimate uses 238 wpm as the benchmark, which aligns with research published in reading psychology literature.
Sentences and readability: Sentence count and average sentence length are key indicators of text readability. The Flesch-Kincaid readability formula uses average words per sentence and average syllables per word to produce a grade-level score. For general audiences, aim for sentences averaging 15–20 words. Short sentences improve comprehension but can make writing feel choppy. A mix of short, medium, and long sentences creates natural rhythm.
Paragraph structure: Good writing typically uses paragraphs of 3–6 sentences for body content, with single-sentence paragraphs reserved for emphasis or transitions. Online content tends to use shorter paragraphs (2–4 sentences) because long blocks of text are harder to scan on screens. The paragraph count in our analyser helps you assess whether your writing is chunked appropriately for your medium.
SEO and word count: Search engines do not have a fixed minimum word count for ranking, but pages with more comprehensive content tend to rank higher because they cover a topic more thoroughly and attract more backlinks. For competitive keywords, 1,500–3,000 words is a common sweet spot. For featured snippets, aim for a concise, direct answer within the first 40–60 words, followed by supporting detail.