Word Counter

Words are counted by splitting text on whitespace characters (spaces, tabs, newlines) and counting the non-empty segments. Hyphenated words like "well-known" typically count as one word. Numbers count as words when separated by spaces. Most word processors use this standard method.

Flesch Reading Ease measures how easy text is to read on a scale of 0-100. Higher scores mean easier reading. The formula is: 206.835 - 1.015 * (words/sentences) - 84.6 * (syllables/words). Scores of 60-70 are considered ideal for general audiences, while scores below 30 indicate very difficult academic text.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level indicates the US school grade level needed to understand the text. It's calculated as: 0.39 * (words/sentences) + 11.8 * (syllables/words) - 15.59. A grade level of 8 means an 8th grader should understand the text. For general audiences, aim for grade 7-8.

For SEO, standard blog posts should be 1,000-2,000 words. Long-form content (2,000+ words) tends to rank better for competitive keywords because it can cover topics more comprehensively. However, quality, relevance, and user intent matter more than word count alone. Some topics only need 500 words to fully answer.

Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword appears in text relative to total words. In early SEO, 2-3% was recommended, but modern SEO focuses more on natural writing. Instead of targeting a specific density, use keywords naturally, include variations and synonyms, and prioritize readability.

Reading time is calculated by dividing word count by average reading speed. The standard assumption is 200-250 words per minute for adults. Technical or complex content may use 150-175 WPM, while light content may assume 250-300 WPM. Our calculator uses 200 WPM for a conservative estimate.

For optimal readability, aim for an average sentence length of 15-20 words. Sentences over 25 words become harder to follow. Mix short and long sentences for rhythm - some as short as 5 words, others up to 30. Consistently long sentences (25+ words) significantly decrease readability scores.

Common words (also called stop words) are frequently used words like "the," "a," "is," "and," "to." They make up over 50% of typical English text but carry little meaning. Excluding them from word frequency analysis reveals the meaningful keywords that define your content's topic.