FREE ONLINE TOOL
Words to Minutes Converter and Word Counter
Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs instantly. Estimate reading time without uploading your text.
WORD COUNTER
Count your text instantly
Free word counter for scripts, captions and articles
The counter updates as you type and shows words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and an estimated silent reading time. The calculation runs in your browser, so the text is not uploaded.
For spoken content, use the words-to-minutes script timer. It lets you choose a speaking pace instead of using a silent reading estimate.
What the counts include
Words can contain letters, numbers, apostrophes and hyphens. Character count includes spaces. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines, while sentence count looks for sentence-ending punctuation. These rules make the result useful for everyday writing but may differ slightly from a publishing platform.
Words to minutes: what your count means out loud
A word count only becomes useful when you know how long it takes to say. Converting words to minutes takes one division: word count divided by your speaking speed.
- 260 words — about 2 minutes
- 390 words — about 3 minutes
- 650 words — about 5 minutes
- 1,300 words — about 10 minutes
Those figures assume roughly 130 words per minute. Measure your own pace with the speaking speed calculator and the estimates get considerably more accurate.
Counting words for a spoken script
A script written to be read aloud counts differently from an essay. Numerals, abbreviations and names are each one word on the page but often several syllables in the mouth — “2026” is one word and four syllables.
If your script is dense with figures, dates or product names, expect it to run longer than the raw count suggests. Write numbers out the way you intend to say them and the count becomes a better predictor of runtime.
Word counter FAQ
How many words is a 5 minute speech?
Around 650 words at a typical presentation pace of 130 words per minute, or closer to 750 if you speak at a conversational 150.
Does the character count include spaces?
Yes. The character result includes spaces and punctuation.
How is reading time estimated?
The tool divides the word count by 200 words per minute and rounds up to the next minute.
Is my text saved?
No. The counter works in the current browser page and does not send your text to AploCam.