Use the "Remove empty lines" tool if a pasted document has turned every line into its own paragraph.
How TallyWords counts
Words are runs of letters or numbers; contractions and hyphenated words count once. Characters are counted as you see them, so an emoji or an accented letter is one character. Sentences end at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis, and paragraphs are separated by blank lines.
Readability uses the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning Fog formulas. Reading time assumes 238 words per minute and speaking time 150 words per minute. Platform meters use each network's own counting rules where they differ from a plain character count.
Private by design
TallyWords has no server-side processing. Your text stays in this browser tab and in an autosave on this device only. Clear it at any time with the Clear button.
Frequently asked questions
How is a paragraph defined?
A paragraph is a block of text separated from the next one by at least one blank line.
Why is my paragraph count wrong after pasting?
Some editors paste single line breaks or none at all. Add a blank line between paragraphs, or use the cleanup tools to normalise them.
How long should a paragraph be?
For web writing, two to four sentences. Academic paragraphs are often longer, around 100 to 200 words.
Does TallyWords work offline?
Once the page has loaded, all counting and cleanup works without a connection, because nothing depends on a server.
Is TallyWords free?
Yes. Every tool is free with no sign-up and no limits on text length.