Use this free word counter to check the length of your text instantly. Paste or type in the box and see your word count, character count, sentence count, and estimated reading time update as you go. It’s useful for essays, articles, social media captions, meta descriptions, and any writing with a length limit.
Common length guidelines
- Twitter/X post: 280 characters
- Meta description (SEO): 150–160 characters
- Instagram caption: up to 2,200 characters, but the first 125 are what show before “more”
- Essay or blog post: often 300–1,500+ words, depending on the assignment or platform
- Resume summary: 3–4 sentences, usually 50–100 words
How reading time is calculated
Reading time is estimated at 200 words per minute, the average adult reading speed. A 1,000-word article takes about 5 minutes to read.