How words are counted
The counter splits your text wherever there is a space, tab or line break. Then it counts the pieces that hold at least one letter or digit.
- Hyphenated words count once: long-winded is 1 word
- Contractions count once: I'm and it's are 1 word each
- Numbers count as words: 6:40, 2026 and 3.5 are 1 word each
- Words joined by a slash with no spaces, like and/or, count once
- A dash or an emoji standing on its own is not a word
- Line breaks and extra spaces never add words
How characters are counted
Characters include letters, digits, spaces and punctuation. Line breaks are left out. An emoji counts as one character in current browsers, even one with a skin tone. The second figure leaves out every space as well.
The formulas
Speaking time uses an unhurried 130 words a minute, the pace of someone thinking aloud. Reading time uses 238 words a minute, the adult average for silent reading of non-fiction in a 2019 review of 190 studies.
- Words = pieces of text between whitespace that hold a letter or digit
- Speaking time = words / 130, in minutes and seconds
- Reading time = words / 238, in minutes and seconds
- Times round to the nearest second, and any text with words takes at least 1 second
Speaking and reading time for common lengths
The counter's results for some common entry lengths.
| Words | Speaking at 130 | Reading at 238 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 23 sec | 13 sec |
| 100 | 46 sec | 25 sec |
| 250 | 1 min 55 sec | 1 min 3 sec |
| 500 | 3 min 51 sec | 2 min 6 sec |
| 750 | 5 min 46 sec | 3 min 9 sec |
| 1,000 | 7 min 42 sec | 4 min 12 sec |
| 2,000 | 15 min 23 sec | 8 min 24 sec |
Edge cases
These are the cases where counters most often disagree, and what this one does.
- Empty text, or only spaces: 0 words
- Only line breaks: 0 words and 0 characters
- An emoji on its own: 0 words and 1 character
- Curly and straight apostrophes count the same: don't is 1 word either way
- A spaced dash, as in well - known, gives 2 words, not 3
- Languages written without spaces, such as Chinese or Japanese, count each unbroken run as 1 word
- Other counters may differ by a few words, mostly over numbers, dashes and symbols
Questions about counting words
How long should a journal entry be?
There is no right length, and a few honest lines count. The guide to entry length goes through what tends to work for different goals.
Does the counter count numbers as words?
Yes. A number such as 2026, a time such as 6:40 and a decimal such as 3.5 each count as one word.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. The counting happens in your browser. Nothing is sent, and the text is gone when you leave the page.
Say your entry, see the count
In Dawn Light you say your entry instead of typing it, and every word is written down as you speak. With Plus, each entry shows a summary and a Your words row with the word count.
Get Dawn Light freeUnlimited entries, transcripts, search and iCloud sync. For iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Works with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26 or later.