Word Counter - Text Analysis & Writing Statistics
Text Input and Analysis
Count 0
Length 0
Count 0
Word* N/A
*Note: Most Common Word excludes common words like "the", "and", "is", etc. and focuses on meaningful content words only.
Detailed Analysis
🔤 Unique Words
Total distinct words used
📏 Longest Word
📐 Shortest Word
📊 Avg Words/Sentence
Average sentence length
📝 Paragraphs
Total paragraph count
📈 Avg Sentences/Paragraph
Average paragraph length
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the word counter determine word count?
Words are counted by splitting text on whitespace and punctuation. Contractions like "don't" count as one word, while hyphenated words like "mother-in-law" are typically counted as separate words. Numbers and symbols are included in the count.
What is average word length and why does it matter?
Average word length divides total letters by word count, excluding spaces and punctuation. It's a key readability indicator - shorter averages (3-4 letters) suggest simpler text, while longer averages (6+ letters) indicate more complex vocabulary.
How are sentences counted and identified?
Sentences are identified by terminal punctuation marks: periods, question marks, and exclamation points. Abbreviations like "Dr." or "U.S.A." are handled intelligently to avoid false sentence breaks. Empty lines don't count as sentences.
How is the most common word determined?
The tool counts frequency of each unique word, ignoring case differences ("The" and "the" are the same). Common stop words like "the," "and," "of" typically appear most frequently. Ties are broken alphabetically or by first appearance.
What's the difference between total and unique word count?
Total word count includes every word instance, while unique word count shows distinct words only. If "cat" appears 5 times, it adds 5 to total count but only 1 to unique count. Higher unique counts indicate richer vocabulary diversity.
How are longest and shortest words identified?
Word length is measured by character count, excluding spaces and punctuation. If multiple words tie for longest/shortest, the tool typically shows the first occurrence. Contractions count their full length including apostrophes.
What does average sentence length measure?
Average sentence length divides total word count by sentence count. It's a crucial readability metric - shorter sentences (10-15 words) are easier to read, while longer sentences (20+ words) can be more challenging and may indicate complex writing.
How are paragraphs counted and analyzed?
Paragraphs are identified by double line breaks or significant whitespace gaps. The tool counts total paragraphs and calculates average sentences per paragraph, helping assess text structure and organization for better readability and flow.
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