Word Counter with Readability & Keyword Analysis
Count words and characters as you type, and get the readability, pacing and keyword analysis most counters skip. Everything runs in your browser — your text is never uploaded or stored.
Quick answer
A word counter splits your text on spaces and punctuation, counts the resulting words, and divides that total by a reading speed to estimate time. This tool uses the conventional 200 words per minute for silent reading and 130 wpm for reading aloud, shows four standard readability scores, and counts characters correctly — including emoji and non-Latin scripts, which most counters get wrong because they count raw code units instead of real characters.
How the numbers are worked out
Words are sequences of letters and numbers, so hyphenated words count once and an email address or version number counts as a word. Sentences end at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis. Paragraphs are separated by a blank line. Characters are counted as real characters (graphemes), so an emoji or a Chinese character counts as one rather than two or three — a detail that quietly breaks most free counters.
Timing divides the word count by a speed. The 200 wpm figure for silent reading is the long-standing convention used by word processors and publishers; reading aloud is slower because you are also breathing and articulating, which is why the spoken estimate here uses 130 wpm, the usual figure for presenting.
What the readability scores mean
- Flesch Reading Ease (0–100, higher is easier). 60–70 is plain English at roughly 8th–9th grade and is a sensible target for a general audience; below 30 is heavy going.
- Flesch–Kincaid grade. The US school grade needed to understand the text. Around 7–9 reads comfortably for most adults.
- Gunning Fog. Estimates years of formal education needed to read the passage once. It punishes long sentences and words of three or more syllables.
- Automated Readability Index. A grade-level score driven by characters per word, which suits technical writing where long words are unavoidable.
All four are statistical estimates built on a syllable heuristic rather than a dictionary, so treat them as a guide, not a verdict.
Useful reference numbers
| If you have… | ≈ reading time (200 wpm) | ≈ spoken time (130 wpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 300 words | 1 min 30 sec | 2 min 20 sec |
| 500 words | 2 min 30 sec | 3 min 50 sec |
| 1,000 words | 5 min | 7 min 40 sec |
| 2,000 words | 10 min | 15 min 20 sec |
| 5-minute talk | — | about 650 words |
| 10-minute talk | — | about 1,300 words |
Why is my word count different from another tool’s?
Two reasons, usually. First, hyphenated and contracted words: this tool counts “state-of-the-art” as one word and “don’t” as one word, but some counters split on every hyphen or apostrophe. Second, what counts as a word at all: numbers, URLs, code fragments and symbols are counted by some tools and ignored by others. A small difference between counters is normal — what matters is being consistent within your own draft.
Does pasting text here risk leaking it?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript, so the text never leaves your device and is not stored between visits. Reload the page and it is gone. That matters if you are checking an unpublished draft, a contract or anything confidential.
What counts as good lexical density and keyword density?
Lexical density (unique words as a share of all words) typically lands around 40–50% for ordinary English prose; much lower suggests a lot of repetition. Keyword density of roughly 0.5–2.5% for your main term reads naturally, which is why this tool flags anything above about 3.5% as possible over-use — search engines do not reward repetition, and readers notice it.
Why flag sentences over 25 words?
Sentence length drives readability more than vocabulary does. Once a sentence passes roughly 25 words, readers start losing the thread and have to re-read, which shows up in your readability scores. Splitting a long sentence into two usually improves every score on this page at once.
Cite this tool
Word Counter with readability and keyword analysis — Afroz Ahmad. Available at afrozahmad.com/word-counter-tool/.
Suggested attribution: “Source: Afroz Ahmad, Word Counter with readability and keyword analysis (https://afrozahmad.com/word-counter-tool/).”
Free to use and free to cite. No sign-up required.
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Reviewed and fact-checked on 24 September 2026.
How many words per minute should I use to estimate reading time?
Use 200 words per minute for silent reading of adult general-interest text. That is the long-standing convention used by word processors and publishers, and it is what this tool uses by default. It also shows 150 wpm for careful reading and 250 wpm for skimming. Reading aloud is slower, because you are articulating and breathing, so the spoken estimate uses 130 words per minute.
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?
For a general audience, aim for 60 to 70. That band is plain English at roughly an 8th to 9th grade reading level and is where most newspapers and well-written web articles sit. Above 80 is very easy, suitable for instructions. Below 50 becomes difficult for many readers, and below 30 is heavy going. The tool shows the score with its plain-language interpretation so you can see which band you are in.
Why is my word count different from another word counter?
Two reasons, usually. First, hyphenated and contracted words: this tool counts “state-of-the-art” as one word and “don’t” as one word, while some counters split on every hyphen or apostrophe. Second, what counts as a word at all: numbers, URLs and code fragments are included by some tools and excluded by others. A small difference between counters is normal; what matters is being consistent within a draft.
What is a good keyword density?
Roughly 0.5% to 2.5% for your main term reads naturally to a human. Above about 3.5% the repetition becomes noticeable and this tool flags it as possible keyword stuffing. Search engines do not reward repetition, and readers notice it, so if a term is flagged, vary the phrasing or use a natural synonym rather than deleting the idea.
Is my text uploaded anywhere when I use this word counter?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript, so your text never leaves your device and is not stored between visits. Reload the page and it is gone. That matters if you are checking an unpublished draft, a contract or anything confidential.