Word Counter
Detailed Statistics
Common Limits
Writing Guidelines
Related Tools
Understanding Word Counts
Why Word Count Matters
Word count is essential for writers, students, and content creators. Whether you're writing an essay, blog post, or social media update, staying within word limits ensures your content meets requirements and engages readers effectively.
Common Word Count Requirements
| Content Type | Word Count | ~Reading Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tweet/X Post | 40-50 words | <15 sec |
| Product Description | 100-200 words | 1 min |
| Short Blog Post | 500-800 words | 3-4 min |
| Standard Blog Post | 1,500-2,500 words | 8-12 min |
| College Essay | 500-650 words | 3 min |
| Research Paper | 3,000-5,000 words | 15-25 min |
| Novel | 70,000-100,000 words | 6-8 hours |
Reading Speed Estimates
SEO Character Limits
Title Tag (50-60 characters)
The title that appears in search results. Keep it concise and include your main keyword. Google typically displays the first 50-60 characters.
Meta Description (150-160 characters)
The description shown below the title in search results. Write a compelling summary that includes your target keyword and encourages clicks.
URL Slug (50-75 characters)
Keep URLs short, descriptive, and hyphenated. Avoid unnecessary words like "the" or "and."
Social Media Limits
Twitter/X
- Post: 280 characters
- DM: 10,000 characters
- Bio: 160 characters
- Caption: 2,200 characters
- Bio: 150 characters
- Hashtags: 30 max
- Post: 3,000 characters
- Article: 125,000 characters
- Headline: 120 characters
YouTube
- Title: 100 characters
- Description: 5,000 characters
- Comment: 10,000 characters
Writing Tips
- Quality over quantity—focus on value, not word count
- Ideal sentence length: 15-20 words for readability
- Break up long paragraphs (3-4 sentences max)
- Use headings and bullet points for scannable content
- Read your work aloud to check flow and pacing
Frequently Asked Questions
How many words is a typical page?
A standard page is about 250-300 words (double-spaced, 12pt font) or 500-600 words single-spaced. Academic papers often use 250 words/page as standard. A typical book page has 200-250 words depending on formatting.
How is reading time calculated?
Average adult reading speed is 200-250 words per minute for comprehension. Speed reading can reach 400+ wpm but with reduced retention. Speaking pace for presentations is slower: 120-150 wpm for clarity.
What's the difference between characters with and without spaces?
Characters with spaces counts everything including spaces between words. Characters without spaces counts only letters, numbers, and punctuation. Twitter uses characters with spaces. Some platforms count without spaces.
How long should a blog post be for SEO?
Optimal blog length varies by topic: 1,500-2,500 words typically ranks well for competitive keywords. However, quality matters more than length. Comprehensive, valuable content of any length can rank - thin 300-word posts rarely do.