Short answer: paste your text into the word counter to see words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and reading time. In Word: Review → Word Count. In Google Docs: Tools → Word count.
An essay capped at 2,000 words, an application that allows 1,500 characters including spaces, a caption that shouldn't get cut off on Instagram, a five-minute speech: plenty of situations call for knowing exactly how long a text is. Here's how to count in each program, plus reference tables so you never go over.
How to count words in each program
| Program | Where to find it | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Online word counter | Paste the text | — |
| Microsoft Word | Review → Word Count, or click the count in the status bar | Ctrl + Shift + G |
| Google Docs | Tools → Word count | Ctrl + Shift + C (⌘ + Shift + C on Mac) |
| LibreOffice Writer | Tools → Word and Character Count | — |
| Pages (Mac) | View → Show Word Count | — |
In Word and Google Docs, if you select part of the text first, only that selection is counted. Handy for checking an abstract or a single section. In Google Docs, tick "Display word count while typing" to keep a live counter in the corner.
On your phone
The Word app shows the count under the three-dot menu (Review → Word Count) and the Google Docs app under ⋮ → Word count. Notes apps usually don't have a counter: copy the text and paste it into the online word counter in your browser.
Words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and reading time, instantly. Free, no sign-up.
Open word counter →Characters with and without spaces
Characters with spaces count everything in the text: letters, numbers, punctuation and spaces. Characters without spaces leave the spaces out. The difference is significant: in ordinary English prose, spaces make up roughly 15–18% of all characters.
If an application form or grant says "maximum 2,000 characters" without specifying, it usually means characters with spaces. When in doubt, stick to that figure, since it's the stricter one.
How many words is a page?
It depends on the font, size, margins and line spacing. As a guide, with a 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman) and standard margins on a Letter or A4 page:
| Line spacing | Words per page | Characters with spaces |
|---|---|---|
| Single (1.0) | ≈ 500 | ≈ 3,000 |
| 1.5 lines | ≈ 350 | ≈ 2,100 |
| Double (2.0) | ≈ 250 | ≈ 1,500 |
Estimates. Text with many short paragraphs, headings or lists takes up more pages for the same word count.
So a 2,000-word essay is about 4 pages single-spaced or 8 pages double-spaced, which is what many schools and universities ask for.
Character limits on social networks and platforms
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter), free account | 280 characters per post |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters (truncated after ~125 in the feed) |
| Instagram bio | 150 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| LinkedIn headline | 220 characters |
| TikTok caption | 4,000 characters |
| YouTube title / description | 100 / 5,000 characters |
| SMS | 160 characters (70 with emojis or special characters) |
| Google search title | ≈ 60 characters before it's cut off |
| Google meta description | ≈ 155 characters before it's cut off |
Limits as of October 2026. Platforms change them from time to time; Google's are measured in pixels, so treat them as a guide.
Reading time and speaking time
Adults read silently at roughly 200 to 250 words per minute. Reading aloud, presenting or giving a speech is slower, around 130 to 150 words per minute, because you pause, breathe and let the audience keep up.
| Words | Silent reading | Read aloud |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 2–2.5 min | 3.5–4 min |
| 1,000 | 4–5 min | 7–8 min |
| 2,000 | 8–10 min | 13–15 min |
For a five-minute talk, aim for about 650–750 words. For ten minutes, about 1,300–1,500.
Tips for hitting a word limit
- Cut filler first: "in order to" → "to", "due to the fact that" → "because", "it is important to note that" → nothing.
- Don't repeat the same point in the introduction and the conclusion.
- Turn long run-on lists into bullet points if the format allows.
- Check what the limit includes: title, references, footnotes or tables. Word lets you include or exclude footnotes from the count with a checkbox.
To see exactly what changed between two drafts, the text comparator highlights the differences.
Frequently asked questions
How do I count the words in a text?
Paste it into an online word counter to see words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and paragraphs instantly. In Microsoft Word, go to Review → Word Count (Ctrl + Shift + G). In Google Docs, go to Tools → Word count (Ctrl + Shift + C).
How many words is a page?
With a 12-point font and normal margins, a page holds about 500 words single-spaced, about 350 with 1.5 spacing and about 250 double-spaced. It depends on the font, paragraph length and headings, so treat it as an estimate.
What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?
Characters with spaces count everything: letters, numbers, punctuation and spaces. Characters without spaces leave the spaces out. When a form or application gives a character limit without saying which, it usually means characters with spaces.
How many words per minute do people read and speak?
Adults read silently at roughly 200 to 250 words per minute on average. Reading aloud or giving a talk is slower, around 130 to 150 words per minute.
How many characters can an SMS have?
160 characters if you only use the standard GSM alphabet. Emojis and some special characters switch the message to another encoding with a 70-character limit, and longer texts are split into several messages.
Does the word counter work in other languages?
Yes, for any language that separates words with spaces, such as English, Spanish, French or German. For Chinese or Japanese, which do not use spaces, the character count is more meaningful.