Content and snippets
Word counter and character counter for SEO
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, with reading and speaking time, and see at a glance whether your text fits a Google title, a meta description, alt text or a social post.
Free · No signup · Runs in your browser
Everything is counted as you type, in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved.
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0With spaces
- Without spaces
- 0Characters
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0One per line break
- Reading time
- 0 secAt 238 words a minute
- Speaking time
- 0 secAt 150 words a minute
Where it fits
Paste a title, description or post to check it against the space it gets. Titles and descriptions are measured in pixels, the way Google cuts them; the rest in characters.
- SEO title0 of 600 pxEmpty
Google shows about 600 px of a title on desktop. Keep under 575 px to leave room for your brand name.
- Meta description0 of 920 pxEmpty
About 920 px on desktop and 680 px on mobile.
- Image alt text0 of 125 charactersEmpty
Screen readers read longer text, but most guidance keeps alt text to one short sentence.
- Open Graph title0 of 70 charactersEmpty
The headline of a link preview on Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack. Longer ones get cut.
- Open Graph description0 of 200 charactersEmpty
The line under the preview headline. Many apps show less, or none at all.
- X post0 of 280 charactersEmpty
X counts every link as 23 characters and some characters, like emoji, as two, so treat this as close.
- LinkedIn post0 of 3,000 charactersEmpty
Only the first few lines show before "see more", so put the point first.
How it works
Type or paste your text into the box.
Every count updates as you go. Nothing leaves your browser, and nothing is saved when you close the page.
Check the limit meters to see where the text fits, and trim anything marked over.
How the counter counts
- A word is any run of letters or numbers. "Don't", "e-mail" and "2026" each count as one word. Emoji and symbols on their own don't count.
- Characters are counted the way you'd count them by eye, so an emoji or an accented letter is one character, not two.
- Sentences end at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or line break.
- Every line break starts a new paragraph, so a pasted list counts each item.
Different tools count slightly differently, mostly over hyphens, numbers and line breaks. If an editor or a client asks for an exact count, use the tool they'll check with; for everything else, these counts are close enough to plan by.
The SEO limits, and why some are in pixels
Google doesn't cut titles and descriptions at a number of characters. It cuts them when they run out of space, so a title full of wide letters like W and M gets cut sooner than one full of narrow ones like i and l. That's why the title and meta description meters measure the text in pixels, in a font close to the one Google uses.
- SEO title: about 600 px on desktop before Google cuts it. Aim for under 575 px so your brand name still fits.
- Meta description: about 920 px on desktop, roughly two lines, and about 680 px on a phone.
- Image alt text: most guidance keeps it under 125 characters, one sentence that describes the image.
- Open Graph title and description: around 70 and 200 characters before link previews on Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack start cutting.
- X post: 280 characters. LinkedIn post: 3,000.
Google publishes none of the title or description numbers. They're what people commonly observe in the results, and Google sometimes rewrites titles and descriptions anyway. Treat them as the space you can count on, not a guarantee.
How long should a page be?
As long as it takes to answer the question well, and no longer. Google's John Mueller has said word count isn't a ranking factor. Long pages often rank because they cover a topic thoroughly, not because they're long, and padding a page to hit a number makes it worse for the person reading it.
A better way to set a length: search for your topic, open the pages that rank, and note what they cover. Then write enough to cover the same questions, plus whatever they missed. A page that answers a simple question in 300 words can beat a 3,000-word guide that buries the answer.
Reading time and speaking time
Reading time assumes 238 words a minute, the average silent reading speed for non-fiction found in a 2019 review of reading studies by Marc Brysbaert. Skimmers go faster and careful readers slower, so round it when you show it on a page.
Speaking time assumes 150 words a minute, a common pace for talks, podcasts and video scripts. Slow it down for a presentation with slides, or a script read by someone who isn't used to reading aloud.
Questions people ask
How many words should a blog post be?
There's no right number. Write enough to answer the searcher's question completely, which for some topics is 400 words and for others 2,500. Look at the pages that rank for your topic to see what they cover.
How many characters is a meta description?
Google cuts descriptions by width, at about 920 pixels on desktop, which is roughly 150 to 160 characters. On phones the space is shorter. Paste yours into the counter to see it in pixels.
Do spaces count as characters?
Usually, yes. Social networks and most character limits count spaces, which is why the main character count includes them. The count without spaces is there for the places that ask for it.
How is reading time worked out?
Words divided by 238, the average silent reading speed for non-fiction in Marc Brysbaert's 2019 review of reading studies. Short texts show seconds; longer ones are rounded to the nearest minute.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. Counting happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to us and nothing is stored, so refreshing the page clears the box.
Want it done for you?
Romeo writes to the length the topic needs
He checks what the pages that rank for your keyword cover, writes articles that answer the question without padding, makes every title and description fit, and sends each draft for you to approve.
