How words and characters are counted
- Words: anything separated by spaces or line breaks that contains a letter or number. "Well-known" and "don't" count as one word each. "2026" counts as a word. A lone dash or bullet doesn't.
- Characters: every character, including spaces and line breaks. Characters without spaces leaves out spaces, tabs and line breaks.
- Sentences: text ending in a period, question mark or exclamation point, plus any final sentence without one. Abbreviations like "Dr." can add an extra sentence, so treat this as close, not exact.
- Paragraphs: blocks of text separated by a line break.
- Reading time: words divided by 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adults reading nonfiction in a 2019 review of 190 studies by Marc Brysbaert.
Everything runs in your browser with JavaScript. The page doesn't send your essay anywhere and doesn't store it, so if you close the tab, it's gone. Keep your own copy.
Common college essay limits
| Essay | Limit |
|---|---|
| Common App personal essay | 250 to 650 words |
| Common App activity description | 150 characters |
| UC Personal Insight Questions | 350 words each, answer 4 of 8 |
| Scholarship essays | Set by each provider, often 250 to 500 words |
Worked example
Paste this: I learned to fix bikes in my uncle's garage. It took three summers.
You get 13 words, 67 characters (55 without spaces), 2 sentences and 1 paragraph. "Uncle's" counts as one word.
Common questions
What is the Common App essay word limit?
The Common App personal essay must be between 250 and 650 words. The application won't let you submit more than 650, so cut to the limit before you paste it in.
Does the title count toward the word limit?
Anything you type into the essay box counts. Most Common App essays don't have a title, and you don't need one. If you add one, it uses part of your 650 words.
Why is my word count different from Google Docs or Word?
Tools disagree on things like dashes between words, slashes and numbers with symbols, so counts can differ by a few words. If you're right at a limit, check the count in the application portal itself, since that's the one that decides.
Is my essay saved or sent anywhere?
No. The counting happens in your browser, and the page doesn't send or store your text. Refreshing or closing the tab clears it.
How long is a 650-word essay?
About a page and a third single-spaced, or about two and a half pages double-spaced, in a 12-point font. It takes about 2 minutes and 45 seconds to read silently.
What if a scholarship gives a character limit instead of words?
Pick the 150-character preset or set a custom limit in characters. Most portals count spaces as characters, so watch the Characters number, not the one without spaces.