Essays have word limits, social platforms have character limits, and editors ask for reading time. Paste your text and watch every number update live as you type. Everything runs locally — your draft never leaves your device.
Which count should you use?
Words is the standard for essays and articles (an English word is anything separated by spaces). Characters (with spaces) is what X/Twitter, SMS and meta-description limits use. Characters (no spaces) matters for some submissions and translations, which often bill per character. Reading time assumes 200 words per minute for an average adult reader; speaking time uses 130 wpm for presentations.
Common platform limits
X/Twitter posts: 280 characters. Instagram captions: 2,200. Meta descriptions: ~155–160 characters before truncation. LinkedIn posts: 3,000. College application essays: commonly 500–650 words. Knowing the limit before you write saves a painful trim later.