Count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and estimate reading time with our free word counter. Paste any text to get an instant analysis. Useful for students checking essay length, writers hitting word count targets, and anyone working with text content.
Canadian university essay lengths vary by course and assignment. A typical undergraduate essay is 1,500–3,000 words. A major research paper may be 4,000–8,000 words. A thesis chapter is typically 8,000–15,000 words. Always check your specific assignment guidelines.
The average adult reads approximately 200–250 words per minute. At this rate, 1,000 words takes about 4–5 minutes to read. Our word counter estimates reading time based on 200 words per minute.
Our word counter shows both: characters with spaces and characters without spaces. This is useful for platforms like Twitter/X (280 characters including spaces) or SMS messages.