How many words per page does this use?

The standard manuscript format uses 250 words per page (based on Courier 12pt, double-spaced, 1-inch margins). This is the convention most literary agents and publishers use to estimate manuscript length.

How is reading time calculated?

Reading time is based on 238 words per minute, the commonly cited average adult silent reading speed. Actual speed varies by reader and text complexity.

Does the counter include punctuation in character count?

Yes. "Characters (with spaces)" counts every character including spaces and punctuation. "Characters (no spaces)" strips spaces only, which is useful for character-limited fields.

How are words counted?

A word is any sequence of non-whitespace characters separated by whitespace. Hyphenated words like "well-known" count as one word. Numbers count as words.

Is my text saved anywhere?

No. All processing happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server. Closing or refreshing the page clears the text.

What is a typical manuscript word count by genre?

General fiction: 80,000–100,000 words. Mystery/thriller: 70,000–90,000. Fantasy/sci-fi: 90,000–120,000. Romance: 50,000–90,000. Literary fiction: 70,000–100,000. Young adult: 50,000–80,000.

Manuscript Word Counter

Paste your manuscript text to instantly count words, characters, pages, and estimated reading time.

Paste or type your manuscript

All processing happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server.

Word Count Goal —

Counts

Words

Characters (with spaces)

Characters (no spaces)

Sentences

Paragraphs

Unique Words

Manuscript Estimates

Pages (250 words/page) 0

Pages (300 words/page) 0

Reading time (238 wpm) —

Avg. sentence length —

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Summary

The Manuscript Word Counter tallies words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and pages in any block of text. Page estimates follow the publishing industry standard of 250 words per page. Reading time uses a 238 wpm average. All calculations run in the browser — no text is transmitted or stored.

How it works

Paste or type your manuscript text into the input area.
Word, character, sentence, and paragraph counts update as you type.
Pages are estimated at 250 words per page — the publishing industry standard.
Reading time is calculated at 238 words per minute (average adult reading speed).
Use the Clear button to reset and start a new count.

Use cases

Check word count before submitting a manuscript to an agent or publisher.
Track progress toward a daily or project writing goal.
Estimate how many pages a draft will run at standard manuscript formatting.
Gauge reading time for blog posts, essays, or short stories.
Verify a piece meets a contest or publication word-limit requirement.
Compare chapter lengths to keep pacing consistent across a novel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-11 · Reviewed by Nham Vu