Word Counter & Readability Scorer

5th grade — anyone can read this

6th grade — very accessible

7th grade — clear writing

8th–9th grade — normal reading

10th–12th grade — some complexity

College level — dense content

Professional / academic writing

How accurate is this word counter?

Our word counter is 100% accurate. It splits text by whitespace the same way Microsoft Word and Google Docs do. Characters, sentences, and paragraphs are all counted using industry-standard rules — all processing happens in your browser instantly.

What is a Flesch Readability Score?

The Flesch Reading Ease score rates text on a scale of 0–100. Scores of 60–70 are considered standard (8th-9th grade reading level). Higher scores mean easier reading. Most web content should target 60–80. Academic and legal writing typically scores below 30.

How many words should a blog post be?

For SEO, the sweet spot is 1,500–2,500 words for most topics. Long-form content (3,000+ words) tends to rank better for competitive keywords. Short posts (500–800 words) work well for news and simple how-to content.

How long does it take to read 1000 words?

The average adult reads at 238 words per minute. 1,000 words takes approximately 4 minutes to read. Speaking takes about 7–8 minutes at an average speaking pace of 130 words per minute.

What is a good reading level for a website?

Most websites should target a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60–70 (8th-9th grade). This makes content accessible to the widest audience. Technical or professional content may naturally score lower — that's fine if it matches your audience.

What is the best free word counter online?

ToolStack's word counter is the most comprehensive free option — it combines word count, character count, readability scoring, reading time, speaking time, keyword density analysis and writing goal targets all in one tool, with no signup required.

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