Word Counter for Book Writers

Paste a manuscript and watch the numbers update live: words, characters, reading time, page estimates, reading level, and a count for every chapter. Built for people writing books, not tweets.

Free - 2 uses per hour
Counts update live as you type — nothing leaves your browser.
Words
0
Characters
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
0
Unique words
0
Reading time
0 sec
Speaking time
0 sec
Avg words / sentence
0
Paperback pages
0
Ebook pages
0
Reading grade
—

How your length compares

Industry-standard word-count ranges for traditionally published books. Use them as a sanity check, not a hard rule — readers care about pacing, not the number. The band that matches your current count is highlighted.

Picture book500–1,000
Chapter book4,000–10,000
Middle grade20,000–55,000
Young adult55,000–80,000
Novella17,500–40,000
Romance novel50,000–90,000
Mystery / thriller70,000–90,000
Literary fiction70,000–100,000
Fantasy / sci-fi90,000–120,000
Nonfiction / memoir60,000–90,000

How the word counter works

No upload, no account, no waiting. Everything is calculated in your browser the moment you paste.

Paste your text

Drop in a sentence, a chapter, or a whole manuscript. The text never leaves your device — there's no server round-trip and nothing is saved.

Read the live stats

Words, characters, sentences, reading and speaking time, and paperback and ebook page estimates update on every keystroke. Keep your chapter headings and you also get a per-chapter breakdown.

Check length and readability

See how your count compares to standard ranges for your category, and get a Flesch reading-ease score and grade level so you can judge whether the prose fits your audience.

Who it's for

A counter that understands books, not just blocks of text.

Authors tracking a draft

Watch a manuscript climb toward its target and see which chapters are bloated or thin at a glance with the per-chapter breakdown.

Writers hitting a brief

Ghostwriters, students, and content writers working to an exact word or character limit get a precise live count without exporting to another app.

Self-publishers planning a book

Estimate page count for paperback and ebook before you format, and confirm your length lands in the expected range for your genre and audience.

Frequently asked questions

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