Short story opening
A short fiction passage.
The kettle clicked off, but Sam did not move. Outside, the tide was coming in faster than the forecast had promised, and the old ferry rope slapped ag…
Word Counter for Manuscripts
A word counter counts the words, characters, sentences and paragraphs in a manuscript as you write. Bookeen also shows chapter totals, a page estimate and a reading time. The word count runs in your browser, so the text never leaves your device.
- Words
- 75 Word-compatible
- Words
- 76 Linguistic
- Characters
- 421 345 without spaces
- Sentences
- 7
- Paragraphs
- 3
- Unique words
- 61
- Reading time
- 19 sec Silent reading
- Speaking time
- 25 sec 183 words per minute
- Pages
- 0.3 At 250 words per page
- Reading ease
- 78.9 Flesch; grade 4.9
Most used words
- awake 2
- admit 1
- already 1
- ana 1
- clicked 1
- coming 1
- envelope 1
- faster 1
- ferry 1
- forecast 1
Longest sentences
- 25 words. Outside, the tide was coming in faster than the forecast had promised, and the old ferry rope slapped against the pier like a loose tooth.
- 18 words. It sat on the table between them, unopened, a well-known kind of trouble in a very ordinary envelope.
- 10 words. She had been awake, she would later admit, since three.
Limits and privacy
- Free, with no sign-up, no daily limit and no ads in the tool.
- Your text is counted in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to Bookeen or stored; you can confirm that in your browser’s network panel.
- Up to 5,000,000 characters per count, which is far more than a full novel. Very long text may take a moment to update.
- Open a .txt or .md file to count it without pasting. Word (.docx) and PDF files are not read yet; copy the text out of them instead.
- Word counts for Chinese, Japanese and Korean text are estimates from your browser’s dictionary-based segmentation; character counts are exact.
Try an example
Manuscript with chapters
Two headed chapters and a word goal.
Chapter 1: The Harbour Mara pulled the ferry in as the last light left the water. Nobody was waiting on the pier, which was the first wrong thing. C…
Mixed languages
English, Japanese and an emoji.
Café menu: three courses, no substitutions — sorry! 今日のおすすめは、きのこのスープです。ゆっくり召し上がってください。🙂 Please tell us about any allergies before you order.
What Is a Word Counter?
A word counter is a tool that totals the words in a piece of writing, usually alongside a character counter, sentence count and paragraph count. A word processor already shows a word count in a status bar, but it rarely splits a novel into chapters, shows both a processor-style count and a linguistic count, or explains the page and reading-time arithmetic. The hard case is a full manuscript: headings, em dashes, hyphenated words and text without spaces all change the number. This word counter is built for that draft. It covers a word count, a character counter and a reading time calculator in one page, and it leaves the text on your device.
How the Word Counter Works
Count the draft in the browser
Paste, type or open a plain-text file. The word counter updates as the text changes and does not send the manuscript anywhere.
- A Word-compatible word count splits on spaces and line breaks, the way a word processor does.
- A linguistic word count uses the browser’s Unicode segmentation, so joined words and em dashes are visible as a difference.
- Characters are counted as Unicode code points, with and without spaces, and graphemes count what a reader sees as one character.
Split chapters and paragraphs
A book word count is more useful when you can see which chapters are long. The page looks for headings on their own lines.
- Lines such as “Chapter 3”, “Prologue” or a Markdown “# Heading” start a new chapter row.
- Sentences come from Unicode sentence segmentation.
- Paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line.
Estimate pages and reading time
Pages and times are planning figures, not a promise to a reader or a printer. You can change the words-per-page figure.
- A double-spaced manuscript page is commonly taken as about 250 words, a single-spaced page about 500 and a paperback page about 300.
- Silent reading uses 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction; speaking uses 183. These averages are for English-speaking adults (Brysbaert, 2019) and are shown only for Latin-alphabet text.
- For Chinese, Japanese and Korean text, characters without spaces are also shown as pages of 400-character manuscript paper.
Why Use This Word Counter
Built for a manuscript
Bookeen shows two word counts, a character counter, chapter totals, a page estimate and a reading time, then lets you carry the draft toward a book. The text stays in the browser.
A status-bar count is enough for a memo
Microsoft Word and Google Docs already show a word count while you edit. Use them when you only need the total inside the document you are already writing.
Who the Word Counter Is For
Novelists
Use it when a chapter needs to sit beside the rest of the book.
- Compare chapter lengths from headings on their own lines.
- Watch a word goal while the scene is still open.
- See where an em dash changes the word count.
- Copy the summary into your notes before you revise.
Nonfiction authors
Use it when a chapter or a proposal has a length you agreed to.
- Switch the page size to match a double-spaced or single-spaced draft.
- Check characters with and without spaces for a submission form.
- Estimate reading time for a talk or a chapter.
- Count only the text you meant to include, after stripping notes.
Students
Use it when an assignment asks for words, characters or pages.
- Paste the essay and read both word counts.
- Pick the page size your instructor described.
- Ignore the reading time if the brief only asks for words.
- Recount after you delete the title page and the bibliography if they are excluded.
Editors
Use it when you need a second count against the author’s file.
- Open a .txt or .md export rather than trusting a pasted selection.
- Compare the Word-compatible count with the linguistic count.
- Flag chapters that are far longer or shorter than the others.
- Treat the page figure as an estimate until you see the real layout.
How to use the Word Counter
- Paste your text into the box, type, or open a .txt or .md file.
- Read the counts above the box. Choose a page size, a reading style and an optional word goal.
- If your manuscript has headings such as “Chapter 1”, check the chapter table to see which chapters are long or short.
- Copy the summary to paste into your notes, or keep writing and watch the counts update.
How to Check the Count
Compare the two word counts
Word-compatible counts every run of characters between spaces, the way a word processor does. The linguistic count splits words the way a language dictionary would. A large gap usually comes from em dashes without spaces, hyphenated words or numbers with punctuation.
Treat pages and times as estimates
Page counts depend on font, spacing and margins; reading time depends on the reader. Use them to plan, not to promise a reader a runtime.
Check chapter headings
Chapters are found from lines like “Chapter 3”, “Prologue” or a Markdown “# Heading”. If a chapter is missing from the table, make sure its heading is on a line of its own.
Check what you pasted
Pasted text can include comments, notes or headings that you do not want in the total. Remove them first if your submission rules count only the story itself.
How Bookeen Counts Words and Characters
Words
Two counts are shown side by side. The Word-compatible count splits text on spaces and line breaks, like most word processors. The linguistic count uses your browser’s Unicode word segmentation (Intl.Segmenter), which separates joined words such as “well-known” or two words linked by an em dash. Different tools disagree by a few words on the same text; showing both makes the difference visible.
Characters
Characters are counted as Unicode code points, with and without spaces. Graphemes count what a reader sees as one character, so an emoji or a letter with an accent counts once.
Sentences and paragraphs
Sentences come from Unicode sentence segmentation; paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line.
Reading and speaking time
Silent reading time uses 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction, and speaking time uses 183 words per minute. These are averages for English-speaking adults from a meta-analysis of 190 studies (Brysbaert, 2019), so they describe an average reader rather than you. They are shown only for text written in the Latin alphabet.
Pages
Pages are words divided by words per page. A double-spaced manuscript page is commonly taken as about 250 words, a single-spaced page about 500 and a paperback page about 300. These are rules of thumb, not standards, so you can see the arithmetic and change the figure for your own layout.
Japanese manuscript paper
For Chinese, Japanese and Korean text, the characters-without-spaces count is also shown as pages of 400-character genkō yōshi manuscript paper.
Sources: Brysbaert (2019), How many words do we read per minute?
Use the Word Counter with Your Draft
Microsoft Word
Copy a chapter out of Word when you want a second word count, or when the status bar and this page disagree because of dashes and hyphens.
Google Docs
Paste from Docs to see chapter rows and a reading time next to the word count Docs already shows under Tools.
Scrivener
Export a scene as plain text when you want this page’s chapter table beside Scrivener’s own project targets.
Bookeen
When the length looks right, continue in Bookeen and keep the same idea as the start of a full manuscript. This counter does not spend Studio credits.
Word Counter Compared with Other Counts
| Tool | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Bookeen | Counts words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, pages and reading time in the browser. | You are sizing a manuscript and want the text to stay on your device. |
| Microsoft Word | Shows a word count in the document you are editing. | You only need the total inside the Word file. |
| Google Docs | Shows a word count, including while you type, from the Tools menu. | The draft already lives in Docs. |
| Scrivener | Tracks document and project word-count targets for a long manuscript. | You are organizing the book in Scrivener and want targets on each document. |
| WordCounter.net | A general online word counter for pasted text. | You want a quick total and you are comfortable pasting into another site. |
Related tools and guides
Frequently asked questions
What is a word counter?
A word counter totals the words in a text, and this one also shows characters, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, pages and reading time. The count runs in your browser.
How do I get a word count without uploading my manuscript?
Open this word counter, then paste, type or open a .txt or .md file. The page makes no request while you type, and Bookeen does not store the text.
How does the word counter count words?
The word counter splits your text on spaces and line breaks for the Word-compatible count, and uses your browser’s Unicode word segmentation for the linguistic count. Both are shown, so you can see when they differ.
What is the difference between a word count and a character counter?
A word count groups letters into words. A character counter totals Unicode characters, with and without spaces. Use the character counter when a form asks for characters, and the word count when it asks for words.
How many words is a page?
A page is not a fixed number of words. A double-spaced manuscript page is commonly taken as about 250 words, a single-spaced page about 500 and a paperback page about 300. Choose a preset or enter your own figure.
How does the reading time calculator work?
The reading time calculator divides your word count by 238 words per minute for non-fiction or 260 for fiction, and speaking time uses 183 words per minute. These averages come from a published meta-analysis of English-speaking adult readers, so treat the result as an estimate.
Can I see a book word count by chapter?
Yes. Put each chapter heading on its own line, such as “Chapter 1” or “# The Harbour”. The chapter table then lists the words in each chapter.
Does the word counter work for Chinese, Japanese and Korean?
The word counter’s character counts are exact for Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Word counts are estimates because the text has no spaces, and reading time is not shown for those scripts.
Is there a daily limit?
No. This word counter does not call a model and does not have a daily cap. The limit is 5,000,000 characters in one count.
Does a word count here spend Bookeen credits?
No. A word count on this page does not spend Studio credits. Credits apply when you create a book in Bookeen, and the Studio plan shows that cost.
Why does this word count differ from Microsoft Word?
This word count and Microsoft Word can disagree by a few words when the text has em dashes, hyphens or punctuation. Compare the Word-compatible figure with Word, and use the linguistic figure when you want dictionary-style splits.
How is this different from Google Docs?
Google Docs shows a word count inside your document. This page adds a second count, chapter rows, a page estimate and a reading time, and it does not require the file to live in Docs.