Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about WordTally.
Counter basics
How does the word counter work?
WordTally splits your text on whitespace and counts the resulting tokens. Punctuation attached to a word ("hello," or "don't") counts as part of that word, not as a separate token. Everything runs in your browser — no text is sent to any server.
Is my text saved or stored anywhere?
No. WordTally has no backend and no database. Your text exists only in your browser tab and disappears when you close or refresh the page. We never transmit, log, or retain what you type.
Why does my word count differ from Microsoft Word or Google Docs?
Different tools apply different rules for edge cases — hyphenated words, contractions, numbers, and punctuation. WordTally counts any sequence of non-whitespace characters as a word. Word and Google Docs use more complex language-aware tokenization. For most text the difference is one or two words; for heavily formatted documents it can be larger.
Does it count hyphenated words as one or two?
"Well-known" counts as one word because there is no whitespace between the parts. If you want each part counted separately, replace hyphens with spaces before pasting.
Character counting
What's the difference between "Characters" and "Characters (no spaces)"?
"Characters" counts every character including spaces, line breaks, and punctuation — the same number most platforms use for character limits. "Characters (no spaces)" strips all whitespace first, useful when you need to know the density of actual content rather than total length.
Why do I need character count instead of word count?
Most social platforms enforce character limits, not word limits. Twitter/X caps at 280 characters, SMS at 160, meta descriptions at 155–160. When writing for these formats, character count is the number that matters.
Reading time
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is estimated at 238 words per minute, the average adult silent reading speed based on published research. Slow readers average around 150 wpm; fast readers around 350 wpm. The Reading Time tool shows all three so you can plan for your specific audience.
Why is speaking time different from reading time?
People speak more slowly than they read silently. Average conversational speech is around 130 words per minute. Formal presentations and speeches run slower still — closer to 100–110 wpm — because speakers pause for emphasis and audience comprehension. The speech time estimate uses 130 wpm as the baseline.
Keyword density
How is keyword density calculated?
Keyword density is the number of times a word appears divided by the total word count, expressed as a percentage. A word that appears 10 times in a 500-word text has a density of 2%. WordTally counts all words in the denominator, including stop words, to match how SEO tools typically calculate it.
What are stop words?
Stop words are common function words that carry little meaning on their own — "the," "and," "is," "in," "a," and so on. WordTally filters them out of the keyword results so you see only the meaningful terms. They are still counted in the total word count used to calculate density percentages.
General
Can I use WordTally on mobile?
Yes. WordTally works in any modern mobile browser. The layout adjusts for smaller screens. Paste from your clipboard or type directly into the text box.
Is WordTally free?
Yes, completely free. No account required, no usage limits, no premium tier. All tools on WordTally are free to use as often as you need.
How do I contact you?
Send us an email at hello@wordtally.org. We read every message and aim to reply within two business days.
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