About the Word Count Calculator
Word count is the number publishing runs on: genre length expectations, page count, printing cost, editing quotes and reading time all start from it. This calculator gives you an accurate count and a full set of text statistics in one place, without opening a word processor.
Paste a chapter or a whole book, or open a .txt or Markdown file. The file is read by your browser on your device and never uploaded. You get words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, paragraphs, an estimated page count at the words per page you choose, reading time at the speed you choose, average sentence and paragraph length, the longest sentence and paragraph, and your most used words.
The most used words list skips common words like the, and and of, so it highlights the words you lean on. That makes it handy for spotting repeated favourites during self-editing. For a page estimate based on trim size, font and spacing, use the KDP Page Count Calculator.
How It Works
A word is a run of letters or numbers, so contractions (didn't) and hyphenated words (well-known) count as one word. Punctuation and symbols on their own are not words.
Sentences end at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis followed by a capital letter or number. Paragraphs are separated by line breaks. Characters are counted as you see them, so an accented letter or an emoji counts as one.
Estimated pages are words divided by your words per page choice, rounded up. Reading time is words divided by the reading speed you select.
Formula
- Estimated pages
- Pages = ⌈Words ÷ Words per page⌉
- Reading time
- Minutes = Words ÷ Words per minute
- Average sentence length
- Words ÷ Sentences
Example
The built-in two paragraph sample
- Text: "The lighthouse keeper counted the ships every night. Most nights there were none." then a second paragraph of three sentences.
- Count: 41 words, 232 characters (191 without spaces), 5 sentences, 2 paragraphs.
- Average sentence length: 8.2 words. The longest sentence has 15 words.
- Most used words: light and night, twice each.
41 words, about 1 page at 300 words per page, and under a minute to read at 238 words per minute.
Important Notes
- Counts can differ slightly from Microsoft Word or Google Docs, which treat dashes, numbers and symbols in their own ways.
- Only plain text and Markdown files can be opened. For .docx files, copy the text from your document and paste it in.
- Sentence detection is rule based. Abbreviations like Dr. followed by a capitalised name can be counted as a sentence break.
- Your text is processed in this browser tab only. It is not uploaded, logged or saved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my manuscript uploaded anywhere?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser. Opening a file reads it on your device; nothing is sent to a server, and closing the tab discards it.
Why is my count different from Microsoft Word?
Word processors disagree on edge cases such as standalone dashes, numbers with slashes, URLs and symbols. Differences are normally well under 1%.
Which words per page setting should I choose?
300 is a fair middle for a 6" x 9" novel in 11 pt type. Use 250 for smaller trims or roomier layouts and 350 to 400 for compact or large trim layouts.
Do chapter headings count as words?
Yes, any text you paste is counted. For a body text only count, paste without headings, or accept that they add a small amount.
Can I check my most overused words?
Yes. The most used words table lists your top 10 words, excluding very common ones, with how many times each appears.
How long a book is my word count?
As a rough guide, novellas run up to about 40,000 words and many adult novels run 70,000 to 100,000. See [how many pages a book should have](/guides/how-many-pages-should-a-book-have) for more.
Related KDP Tools
- KDP Page Count CalculatorConvert word count to estimated pages, or pages to words, by trim and font size.
- Reading Time CalculatorEstimate how long your book takes to read at different reading speeds.
- Word CounterA fast, private word counter with top-word frequency.
- Character CounterCount characters with and without spaces, plus bytes and limits.
- Book Launch ChecklistAn interactive checklist from manuscript to post-launch, saved in your browser.
- Book Title GeneratorGenerate title ideas from your genre, topic, audience, tone and keywords.