About WordCount

Free writing tools, built to stay out of your way.

Hi, I'm Jay

I built WordCount as a side project because I was frustrated with the state of online word counters. Every tool I found was either wrapped in ads before you even got to type anything, required a free account for features that should just work, or loaded so slowly that copy-pasting into Microsoft Word was faster. I wanted something that opened instantly, did its job without friction, and got out of the way.

Why I built this

The original word counter started as a learning project — I wanted to build something real that people would actually use, rather than just following tutorials for todo apps. A word counter seemed like the perfect scope: simple enough to build quickly, useful enough that it might actually get visitors, and flexible enough to grow into something more over time.

What I did not expect was how much there was to get right. Word counting sounds trivial until you run into edge cases: what counts as a word when someone pastes in a URL? What about hyphenated compounds, contractions, or text that is entirely punctuation? How do you estimate reading time or speaking time accurately without overcounting? These small problems turned the project from a quick exercise into something I genuinely cared about making correct.

Over time, the site grew from a single word counter into a small suite of writing tools. The essay checker, ATS resume checker, tone analyzer, and SEO checker all grew out of the same impulse: there were tools for these things online, but most of them were either expensive, account-gated, or produced results that were too vague to act on. I wanted to see if I could do it better and keep it free.

What WordCount is

WordCount is a free suite of tools for writers, students, professionals, and anyone who works with text. Everything runs in the browser — nothing is stored on a server, and you never need to create an account or hand over an email address. The tools work on any device and are designed to be fast: the word counter updates live as you type, and the analysis tools run in seconds rather than minutes.

The site is intentionally minimal. I have tried to include only what is actually useful and to present it clearly, without dark patterns, upsell prompts on every screen, or features that exist only to justify a pricing page. If something is free, it is just free.

The tools

Word Counter

Live word, character, sentence, and paragraph count. Reading time and speaking time estimates.

Essay Checker

Scores essay structure, clarity, argument strength, and transitions with specific suggestions.

ATS Resume Checker

Checks your resume against a job description and scores keyword match, format, and section strength.

Tone Checker

Analyzes tone, formality, and audience match across professional, academic, and casual writing.

SEO Content Checker

Evaluates keyword usage, readability, heading structure, and content depth for search optimization.

How the site is supported

WordCount is free to use and always will be. The site is supported by display advertising through Google AdSense. I have tried to keep the ad placement non-intrusive — ads appear in the header and at the bottom of content pages, not inside tools or interrupting your workflow. If you use an ad blocker, I completely understand; the tools work the same either way.

There are no premium tiers, no email newsletters, no upsells, and no data collection beyond what Google Analytics and AdSense collect as standard. You can read more in the Privacy Policy.

Questions, bug reports, or suggestions? I read every email and try to respond within a day or two.