Characters to words: how many words is that?

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The chart below is an estimate; this box gives the exact numbers for your text. Need more (speaking time, bigger editor)? Open the full Word Counter.

Count words and characters

Divide the number of characters by 6 to estimate words. That rule assumes the count includes spaces, which is how most character limits work. So 250 characters is about 42 words, 1,000 characters is about 167 words and 4,000 characters is about 667 words. If the limit counts characters without spaces, divide by 5 instead.

It is only an estimate, because it depends on how long your words are. We measured real English text to get the range: four classic novels averaged 5.4 to 5.6 characters per word including spaces, and five encyclopedia articles on science and technology averaged 6.2 to 6.8. Plain, conversational writing sits at the low end and technical writing at the high end. For an exact figure, paste your text into the Word Counter, which shows words and characters with and without spaces as you type, in your browser.

Characters to words chart

Each estimate uses 6 characters per word (spaces included). The range in brackets runs from technical writing (6.8 per word) to simple prose (5.4 per word).

  • 150 characters: about 25 words (roughly 22 to 28).
  • 200 characters: about 33 words (roughly 29 to 37).
  • 250 characters: about 42 words (roughly 37 to 46).
  • 280 characters: about 47 words (roughly 41 to 52).
  • 300 characters: about 50 words (roughly 44 to 56).
  • 500 characters: about 83 words (roughly 74 to 93).
  • 600 characters: about 100 words (roughly 88 to 111).
  • 700 characters: about 117 words (roughly 103 to 130).
  • 1,000 characters: about 167 words (roughly 147 to 185).
  • 1,200 characters: about 200 words (roughly 176 to 222).
  • 1,500 characters: about 250 words (roughly 221 to 278).
  • 2,000 characters: about 333 words (roughly 294 to 370).
  • 2,500 characters: about 417 words (roughly 368 to 463).
  • 3,000 characters: about 500 words (roughly 441 to 556).
  • 4,000 characters: about 667 words (roughly 588 to 741).
  • 5,000 characters: about 833 words (roughly 735 to 926).

Words to characters

Going the other way, multiply by 6 for a count with spaces and by 5 for a count without spaces.

  • 50 words: about 300 characters with spaces, or about 250 without.
  • 100 words: about 600 characters with spaces, or about 500 without.
  • 200 words: about 1,200 characters with spaces, or about 1,000 without.
  • 250 words: about 1,500 characters with spaces, or about 1,250 without.
  • 300 words: about 1,800 characters with spaces, or about 1,500 without.
  • 500 words: about 3,000 characters with spaces, or about 2,500 without.
  • 1,000 words: about 6,000 characters with spaces, or about 5,000 without.

Why the number changes from text to text

  • Long words raise the ratio. Science, law and business writing use more long words, so the same character limit holds fewer words.
  • Short, everyday words lower it. Dialogue and casual posts fit more words into the same space.
  • Spaces count as characters in most limits, including social posts, form fields and meta descriptions. One space sits between each pair of words, which is why the with-spaces ratio is about one higher than the without-spaces ratio.
  • Punctuation, numbers, emoji and line breaks also count as characters in most tools, and some sites count an emoji as two.

Common limits in words

  • 280 characters (an X post): about 47 words.
  • 150 characters (an Instagram bio): about 25 words.
  • 155 to 160 characters (a search result description): about 26 or 27 words.
  • 1,000 characters (a typical form or application answer): about 167 words, close to one long essay paragraph.
  • 2,000 characters: about 333 words, or two to three essay paragraphs of 100 to 200 words each.
  • 4,000 characters: about 667 words, or roughly one and a third single-spaced pages.

Getting the exact count

Estimates are fine for planning, but limits are checked exactly. Paste your text into the Word Counter: it shows words, characters with spaces, characters without spaces, sentences, paragraphs and reading time. It counts a word as anything between spaces or line breaks and a character as every letter, digit, symbol and space, and nothing is uploaded. Some websites count line breaks or emoji differently, so leave a few characters of room when you are close to a hard limit.

Convert your own text

  1. Open the Word Counter.
  2. Paste or type your text.
  3. Read the Words and Characters boxes, or divide a character limit by 6 to plan before you write.

Related tools and guides

FAQ

How many words is 250 characters?
About 42 words, counting spaces as characters. Simple writing may fit 46, technical writing about 37.
How many words is 500 characters?
About 83 words, usually between 74 and 93.
How many words is 1,000 characters?
About 167 words (roughly 147 to 185).
How many words is 4,000 characters?
About 667 words (roughly 588 to 741).
How many characters is 300 words?
About 1,800 characters with spaces, or about 1,500 without.
Do spaces count as characters?
In most character limits, yes. If a limit says characters without spaces, divide by 5 instead of 6 to estimate words.