Data Source and Methodology

This calculator does not rely on a single external standard (like a tax code) but on a transparent, defined linguistic algorithm for parsing text. Our methodology is built on standardized JavaScript regular expressions (RegExp) and linguistic rules for tokenization.

AuthoritativeDataSource: ECMA-262 (ECMAScript Language Specification) for string and RegExp processing. Reference: ECMA-262 Specification Last logic review: .

All calculations are based strictly on the formulas and definitions provided below.

The 'Formulas' Explained

Text analysis is algorithmic. Here is the precise logic this tool uses to derive its metrics.

Word Count

Words are identified using the regular expression /\b[\w']+\b/g. This defines a "word" as any sequence of one or more letters, numbers, or underscores (\w), including apostrophes ('), that is surrounded by a "word boundary" (\b). This ensures that "it's" and "rock'n'roll" are counted as single words, while "end." is counted as one word ("end") without the punctuation.

Sentence Count

Sentences are counted by identifying text segments that end with terminal punctuation (period ., question mark ?, or exclamation mark !), followed by a space or a new line. This method correctly handles most standard prose.

Paragraph Count

Paragraphs are counted based on blocks of text separated by one or more empty lines (e.g., hitting 'Enter' twice). Single line breaks do not count as a new paragraph.

Reading Time

Reading time is calculated based on an average reading speed of 225 words per minute (WPM). This is a widely accepted standard for silent reading in adults.

$$ \text{Reading Time (minutes)} = \frac{\text{Total Words}}{225} $$

Glossary of Metrics

  • Words: The total count of words as defined by the methodology above.
  • Characters: The total number of all characters, including letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces.
  • Characters (No Spaces): The total number of characters, excluding all whitespace (spaces, tabs, newlines).
  • Sentences: The total count of text segments ending in terminal punctuation.
  • Paragraphs: The total count of text blocks separated by empty lines.
  • Reading Time: An estimate of the time it would take an average adult to read the text.
  • Unique Words: The count of distinct words used in the text (case-insensitive). "The" and "the" are counted as one unique word.
  • Avg. Word Length: The average length of a word, calculated as Characters (No Spaces) / Total Words.
  • Keyword Density: A list of the most frequently used words (case-insensitive, excluding common "stop words" like 'the', 'is', 'a') and their count.

How It Works: A Step-by-Step Example

Consider the following text:

"Hello world! This is a test.

This test is simple. (It's simple!)"

Here is how our tool would analyze it:

  1. Words (10): "Hello", "world", "This", "is", "a", "test", "This", "test", "is", "simple", "It's", "simple"
  2. Characters (70): Includes all letters, 11 spaces, 4 punctuation marks, and 2 newlines.
  3. Sentences (4):
    1. "Hello world!"
    2. "This is a test."
    3. "This test is simple."
    4. "(It's simple!)"
  4. Paragraphs (2): The two blocks of text are separated by an empty line.
  5. Unique Words (7): "hello", "world", "this", "is", "a", "test", "simple", "it's"
  6. Reading Time: $ 12 \text{ words} / 225 \text{ WPM} \approx 0.05 \text{ minutes} $, which the tool displays as "~ 3 seconds".

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my text saved or shared?

Absolutely not. Your privacy is paramount. All calculations are performed directly in your browser. No text or data is ever sent to our servers. The moment you close this page, your text is gone.

How do you define a "word"?

We define a word as a sequence of letters, numbers, and apostrophes. Hyphenated words like "step-by-step" are counted as three separate words ("step", "by", "step") by this tool. Punctuation at the end of a word (like "world!") is not included in the word itself.

How is "Reading Time" calculated?

We use the standard academic average of 225 words per minute (WPM). The total word count is divided by 225 to get the total minutes. This is then broken down into minutes and seconds for easier reading.

Does this counter work for social media (X, LinkedIn, etc.)?

Yes. The "Characters" count is exactly what you need for platforms like X (formerly Twitter). The "Words" count is useful for optimizing the length of LinkedIn posts or blog articles.

What are "stop words" in the Keyword Density list?

"Stop words" are extremely common words that are filtered out to provide more meaningful keyword analysis. These include words like 'the', 'a', 'is', 'in', 'at', 'and', 'or', etc. This helps you see the actual subject-matter keywords of your text.

Why is my word count different from other tools?

Different tools use different rules. Our methodology (explained above) is designed to be transparent. Some tools may count hyphenated words as one, while others may incorrectly count punctuation. Our tool is consistent with its own defined logic.

Tool developed by Ugo Candido. Contents verified by the CalcDomain Editorial Board.
Last accuracy review: