Question 1

How is word count calculated? What about mixed Chinese and English text?

Accepted Answer

The tool uses two parallel algorithms. English words are matched by the regex /[a-zA-Z]+/ — each contiguous block of letters counts as 1 word (not 1 letter). Chinese characters are matched by Unicode block [一-鿕] — each CJK character counts as 1 character. Example: "Today 天气 good" → 2 English words + 2 Chinese characters. This dual count is essential for mixed-content writers. Microsoft Word's default count only tracks English words and total characters; this tool gives you both numbers side by side, live as you type.

Question 2

What is the SEO meta description length limit?

Accepted Answer

Google truncates meta descriptions at approximately 155-160 characters (including spaces) on the search results page. Anything beyond shows as "...". Moz, Ahrefs, and SEMrush all recommend 150-160 characters as the sweet spot — long enough for a primary keyword and call to action, short enough to avoid truncation. This tool's "Characters" counter maps directly to Google's truncation logic, so paste your draft and watch the count approach the 155 red line in real time.

Question 3

What are the word limits for college essays, cover letters, and personal statements?

Accepted Answer

US college applications: Common App personal essay 650 words max, UC Personal Insight Questions 350 words each, graduate school personal statements typically 500-1000 words depending on program. Cover letters should fit one page A4 (~400-600 words). This tool shows live word and sentence counts; many applicants aim for 5-7 paragraphs in the 500-650 range. Tip: admissions officers read hundreds of essays, so hitting the exact limit (not going under, not over) signals attention to detail and respect for the prompt.

Question 4

How does this counter work? Whitespace split or character count?

Accepted Answer

The algorithm is fully transparent and runs in your browser via JavaScript — no API calls, no server uploads, no third-party tracking. Counting logic: ① English words via /[a-zA-Z]+/ regex; ② CJK characters via Unicode block matching; ③ Total characters via .length including spaces and punctuation; ④ Characters without spaces via .replace(/\s/g, "").length; ⑤ Sentences split on [.!?]; ⑥ Paragraphs split on 
+. The rules are hardcoded and reproducible — the same input always produces the same output, with no AI inference or hidden weighting.

Question 5

How are Chinese characters counted? One character or two bytes?

Accepted Answer

Each Chinese character counts as 1 character (not 2 bytes). "Bytes" is a storage concept (UTF-8 encodes 1 CJK character as 3 bytes); "characters" is a display concept. This tool matches Word, Pages, and Google Docs — 1 character = 1 unit. Chinese punctuation (。,!?;:、) counts as a character but is excluded from the "Chinese chars" count. If you see a tool reporting "byte count," that's UTF-8 encoded length, usually 3x the character count; trust the character count from this tool for any writing-related limit (essay, caption, meta description, product title).

Word Counter

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