Text & Character Counter
Count words, characters, sentences, and more — locally in your browser.
Runs entirely in your browser — text is not uploaded
0 characters, 0 words, 0 lines
Character count uses Unicode grapheme clusters, not JavaScript string length.
Characters
0
Words
0
Lines
0
Reading
0 sec
Characters & words
- Characters. Grapheme clusters (visible characters, including emoji)
- 0
- Characters (no whitespace)
- 0
- Words
- 0
- Letters
- 0
- Digits
- 0
- Unique characters
- 0
- Unique words
- 0
- Unique words (ignore case)
- 0
Whitespace & structure
- Spaces. U+0020 only
- 0
- Whitespace. Spaces, tabs, line breaks, and other Unicode whitespace
- 0
- Tabs
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
Casing & symbols
- Uppercase
- 0
- Lowercase
- 0
- Punctuation
- 0
- Symbols
- 0
- Special characters. Not a letter, digit, mark, or whitespace
- 0
Encoding
- Unicode code points
- 0
- UTF-16 code units. JavaScript string.length
- 0
- UTF-8 bytes
- 0
Time estimates
- Reading time. 200 words/min
- 0 sec
- Speaking time. 130 words/min
- 0 sec
Character frequency
Character frequencies appear as you type.
Word frequency
Word frequencies appear as you type.
Online Text & Character Counter
Looking for an online word counter, character counter, or letter counter? Toolshelf measures text in your browser — no signup and no file upload. Paste a paragraph, a social caption, or a full draft and see characters, words, sentences, lines, and paragraphs update as you type.
Unlike counters that only report string.length, this tool uses Unicode grapheme clusters so emoji, combining marks, Hindi, and Gujarati display more like what you see on screen. It also reports UTF-8 bytes and UTF-16 code units when you care about storage or API payload size.
What you can measure with this text counter
- Count characters, words, sentences, lines, and paragraphs instantly
- Grapheme-aware character counting for emoji and complex scripts
- Separate spaces, tabs, whitespace, letters, digits, and punctuation
- Show unique characters, unique words, and case-insensitive word totals
- Report Unicode code points, UTF-16 code units, and UTF-8 byte size
- Estimate reading time and speaking time from word count
- Inspect character frequency and word frequency tables
- Copy text, download TXT, or export statistics as JSON — all in your browser
Word count vs character count vs byte count
People search for word counter, character counter, and letter counter when they need different units. Word count matters for essays and articles. Character count matters for titles, SMS-style limits, and UI labels. Byte count matters when a backend, database column, or HTTP header rejects oversized UTF-8.
This page reports those layers together: grapheme characters, letters and digits, whitespace variants, sentences and paragraphs, unique words (including a case-insensitive total), Unicode code points, UTF-16 code units, and UTF-8 bytes.
How Unicode-aware counting works
Visible character count uses Intl.Segmenter with grapheme granularity when the browser supports it. That means a ZWJ emoji sequence such as a family emoji is one character, and many Indic conjuncts are grouped the way users read them — not as a pile of code units.
Word and sentence counts also use Intl.Segmenter. Letters, digits, uppercase, lowercase, punctuation, and symbols are classified with Unicode character properties, so Devanagari and Gujarati digits count as digits, not as mystery symbols. Combining marks are not treated as extra “special characters.”
All of this runs after the page loads. Toolshelf does not send your draft to a counting API.
Text counter example
Sample input:
Hello दुनिया 👨👩👧👦
You should see more than one word, a grapheme character count that treats the family emoji as a single visible character, a higher UTF-16 code unit count than the grapheme total, and a still higher UTF-8 byte count because Hindi letters and emoji encode as multiple bytes.
Common use cases
SEO and content length
Check title, meta description, and article length before publishing so you stay inside practical search-snippet limits.
School and workplace writing
Meet word-count requirements for essays, reports, and cover letters without uploading drafts to a third-party editor.
Social posts and captions
Count characters for platforms with tight limits, including posts that mix emoji, Hindi, or Gujarati text.
Translation and localization
Compare how source and translated copy expand in characters, words, and bytes before layout review.
Developer payloads
Inspect UTF-8 byte size and Unicode code points when a string looks short in the editor but is large on the wire.
Speech and presentation timing
Use speaking-time estimates to see whether a script fits a one-minute intro or a longer talk.
How to use the Text & Character Counter
- 1Paste or type into the text box. Statistics update as you type.
- 2Read the highlight cards for characters, words, lines, and estimated reading time, then open the full list for encoding and casing details.
- 3Use character frequency and word frequency when you need a breakdown.
- 4Copy the text, download TXT, or export JSON. Clear the editor when you are done — nothing is stored on our servers.
Privacy-first text analysis
Many online word counters upload your writing to generate a total.Toolshelf keeps counting on the device. That is a better default for unpublished drafts, internal notes, and exam work you do not want leaving the machine. After the page loads, counting does not require another network round-trip.
JSON export includes statistics only, not the original text, so you can share counts without pasting the source. For cookies, logs, and advertising partners, read our Privacy Policy.
Tips for accurate counts
- Decide whether you need grapheme characters, code points, or UTF-8 bytes — they diverge as soon as emoji or non-Latin text appears.
- Use unique words (ignore case) when Hello and hello should count as one vocabulary item.
- Paragraphs are split on blank lines. A single line break still belongs to the same paragraph.
- Need a side-by-side revision check after you count? Open the Text Compare tool.
Who this counter is for
- Students and teachers checking essay or assignment length
- Writers, marketers, and SEO editors measuring titles and body copy
- Developers inspecting Unicode size before storing or transmitting a string
- Speakers and students estimating how long a script will take to read aloud
Limitations
Reading and speaking times are linear estimates from word count; they do not model difficulty, pauses, or slides. Sentence segmentation follows browser Unicode rules and may differ from a teacher’s manual count. Very large pastes (over two million UTF-16 code units) stay in the editor but are not analyzed until shortened, so the tab remains usable.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a text and character counter?
- A text and character counter measures a piece of writing: characters, words, sentences, lines, and related stats. This Toolshelf tool also reports Unicode encoding sizes, unique words, and frequency tables.
- Do I need an account to use this word counter?
- No. Toolshelf Text & Character Counter requires no account, no signup, and no upload step.
- Does my text get uploaded to a server?
- No. Counting runs locally in your browser with JavaScript. The text you paste is not sent to Toolshelf for analysis.
- How does character count differ from JavaScript string length?
- JavaScript string.length counts UTF-16 code units. Emoji and some symbols use two code units, and ZWJ sequences can use many more. This tool’s character count uses Unicode grapheme clusters via Intl.Segmenter so a family emoji counts as one visible character.
- Does this counter support Hindi, Gujarati, and emoji?
- Yes. Word and sentence segmentation use Intl.Segmenter where the browser provides it, so Indic scripts and mixed-language text are counted more accurately than a simple space split. Emoji are counted as grapheme clusters.
- How is word count calculated?
- Words are Unicode word segments with the isWordLike flag from Intl.Segmenter. That includes letters and numbers across languages. Contractions and punctuation are handled by the browser’s segmentation rules.
- What is the difference between spaces and whitespace?
- Space count is only the regular space character (U+0020). Whitespace count includes spaces, tabs, line breaks, non-breaking spaces, and other Unicode whitespace.
- How are reading time and speaking time estimated?
- Reading time uses 200 words per minute. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute. These are estimates for typical English prose and will not match every reader or speaker.
- Can I export the statistics?
- Yes. Export JSON downloads the counts, timing estimates, and frequency tables. Download TXT saves the text you typed. Copy text puts the current input on your clipboard. The JSON export does not include the original text.
- Is there a size limit?
- Real-time analysis supports up to 2,000,000 UTF-16 code units. Above that, the text stays in the editor and is not truncated, but counts pause until you shorten the input so the browser stays responsive.
Related tools
Continue with related browser-based tools on Toolshelf.
- Online Notepad — Online notepad for writing and editing text.
- Markdown Editor & Preview — Online Markdown editor with live preview.
- Text Compare — Online text compare and diff checker.
- Typing Test & Practice — Free typing test and touch-typing practice in your browser.
- Password Generator & Strength Checker — Generate strong random passwords and check password strength instantly.
- QR Code Generator — Create QR codes for URLs, text, Wi-Fi, contacts, email, phone numbers and more.
- Word to PDF Converter — Word to PDF converter.
- Unix Timestamp Converter — Epoch converter: Unix timestamp to date (and back).
Ready to count your text?
Scroll up to the editor, paste your draft, and see live statistics.
Back to editorUse cases
- Everyday Tasks — Notes, passwords, QR codes, and quick file conversions.
What would you like to do next?
Continue working with the next step in this workflow. Recently used tools in this set are listed first.
- Online Notepad — Online notepad for writing and editing text.
- Markdown Editor & Preview — Online Markdown editor with live preview.
- Text Compare — Online text compare and diff checker.
- Typing Test & Practice — Free typing test and touch-typing practice in your browser.
You may also need
Continue with related browser-based tools on Toolshelf.
- Online Notepad — Online notepad for writing and editing text.
- Markdown Editor & Preview — Online Markdown editor with live preview.
- Text Compare — Online text compare and diff checker.
- Typing Test & Practice — Free typing test and touch-typing practice in your browser.
- Password Generator & Strength Checker — Generate strong random passwords and check password strength instantly.
- QR Code Generator — Create QR codes for URLs, text, Wi-Fi, contacts, email, phone numbers and more.
- Word to PDF Converter — Word to PDF converter.
- Unix Timestamp Converter — Epoch converter: Unix timestamp to date (and back).