Word Counter & Character Count Checker
Count words and characters as you type, check a selected passage and keep your draft within a word limit. Your text stays in this browser tab.
Words
0
Characters
0
Your text, counted as you write
Paste or type your draft. Select a passage to count just that part.
Your text stays in this browser tab. No upload or saved drafts.
How to use this tool
- 1
Paste or type your text.
- 2
Review live counts or set an optional word limit.
- 3
Select a passage, or copy and download the count summary.
Check a word limit without uploading your draft
Paste an essay, article, application answer or product description into the counter. The word, character, sentence and paragraph totals update as you edit. Use the character total when a form limits letters and spaces; use the word total when a brief specifies words.
How this word count checker counts
A word is a non-empty sequence separated by whitespace. Repeated spaces and line breaks do not add words. A hyphenated expression without spaces counts as one word. This simple method is useful for space-separated text; it is not linguistic word segmentation for languages that do not use spaces.
Characters with and without spaces
The first character total includes spaces and line breaks. The second excludes whitespace. Characters are counted as Unicode code points, so a combined emoji can contain more than one counted character. A destination form may use a different convention.
A small example you can verify
Hello, Cobalt! contains 2 words, 14 characters including the space, and 13 without it. Adding another space changes the full character total but leaves the word total unchanged.
Reading time and paragraph totals
Reading time defaults to 225 words per minute, rounded up for non-empty text. Change the reading-speed setting to compare estimates. Sentences are estimated using periods, question marks and exclamation marks; abbreviations may affect the result. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines. These estimates are not a substitute for the counting rules of your school, publisher or platform.
Check a 250-word answer or a selected passage
Set the optional word limit to 250, 500 or a custom number. The progress indicator shows how many words remain or how far the draft exceeds the limit; it does not cut or rewrite your text. Select a passage inside the editor to see its own word and character totals. Copy or download the count summary when you need a record; the exported summary contains statistics rather than your draft.
Is my text uploaded to a server?
No. These utility tools run locally in your browser and do not upload or store the text you enter.
Is this tool free?
Yes. The browser utility tools on Cobalt Tools are free to use.
How does this word count checker count words?
Words are non-empty sequences separated by whitespace. Repeated spaces and line breaks do not add words; a hyphenated expression without spaces counts as one. This is not linguistic segmentation for languages written without spaces.
Can I check a word limit or count only a selection?
Yes. Enter a word limit to see the remaining count or how far you are over it. Select text inside the editor to see word and character totals for that passage without changing the full draft.
Why might character totals differ from another editor?
Characters are counted as Unicode code points, with a separate total excluding whitespace. Combined emoji can contain several code points. Other editors or form fields may count characters differently.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated from the word count using 225 words per minute by default. You can select a different speed. Non-empty estimates round up to a full minute; empty text shows zero.
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