NumberTally Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and paragraphs as you type — plus reading time, speaking time, and keyword density. Everything updates live and your text never leaves your browser.
How the counts are calculated
Words are runs of characters separated by whitespace, so "don't" counts as one word and hyphenated terms like "well-known" count as one word too. Sentences end at periods, exclamation marks, question marks, or ellipses — abbreviations like "Mr." may inflate the sentence count slightly, which is standard for fast counters.
Reading time assumes 200 words per minute, the widely used average for adult silent reading. Speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, a comfortable presentation pace. Keyword density divides each word's occurrences by the total word count.
Why writers use a word counter
Word limits are everywhere: essays, résumés, college applications, social posts, and SEO meta descriptions all have targets. A live counter keeps you inside the limit without recounting. Keyword density helps bloggers and students check they are repeating a key term enough — or too much.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are words counted?
Any run of characters separated by spaces, tabs, or line breaks counts as one word. Contractions like "don't" and hyphenated words like "well-known" each count as a single word.
What reading speed is used for reading time?
200 words per minute, the commonly cited average for adult silent reading. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, a typical presentation pace.
Is my text uploaded or stored anywhere?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser with JavaScript — nothing is sent to a server or saved.
Why do only words of 4+ letters appear in keyword density?
Short words are usually "the", "and", "of" — noise for density analysis. The 4-letter minimum keeps the table focused on meaningful terms.
Why does the sentence count look off with abbreviations?
Periods in abbreviations like "Mr." or "e.g." are treated as sentence ends. For precise sentence analysis of academic text, proofread the count.