Check the text you will actually submit
Paste the final draft into the Word-and-Character Counter. The live results show whitespace-separated word groups, Unicode code points, characters without whitespace, paragraphs separated by blank lines, and an approximate reading time.
Interpret the word count
A word is estimated as a non-empty group separated by whitespace, so a hyphenated expression without spaces usually counts as one. Languages written without spaces between words, including ordinary Chinese text, will not receive a linguistic word count from this simple rule. Use a language-aware counter when that distinction matters.
Understand character counts
The character total counts Unicode code points, not the bytes used to encode the text or every visible grapheme as one unit. Some emoji and combined accented characters are made from multiple code points. A publishing form may count them differently, so paste a test phrase into the target form when its limit is strict.
Use reading time as an estimate
The displayed reading time assumes roughly 200 words per minute and rounds up to at least one minute for non-empty text. It is a planning estimate, not a prediction of an individual reader’s pace.
Keep private drafts local
The counter works in the current browser tab and does not send or save your text on the site. Check the final wording, links, and formatting in the destination editor before submitting.