Count Characters, Words and Paragraphs while typing

by Yiannis Christodoulou

Description

The Count CWP WordPress Plugin enables real-time tracking of character, space, word, and paragraph counts while writing in posts, pages, or custom textarea fields. Ideal for authors, editors, and content managers who require precise text measurements.

Video Description

Basic Features

Enable or disable character, space, word, or paragraph counts via Settings > Count CWP.
Display counters directly below the WordPress editor or any custom textarea field.

Installation

This plugin is simple to install:

Download the zip file count-cwp.zip.
Extract the contents.
Upload the count-cwp directory to /wp-content/plugins/.
Navigate to the Plugins page and activate the plugin.
Configure the settings via Settings > Count CWP.

Screenshots

Displays character, word, and paragraph counts below the editor or custom text fields.
Plugin settings panel.

Faq

Why should I use this plugin?

Count CWP shows live character, word, paragraph, and space counts while you write in WordPress. It helps authors, editors, and marketers stay within SEO meta limits, ad copy constraints, or editorial guidelines without copying text into an external tool.

Where do the counters appear?

Counters display below the post and page editor, and below any HTML textarea field on admin screens — including custom fields from plugins such as Advanced Custom Fields (ACF).

Can I choose which counts to show?

Yes. Go to Settings > Count CWP and enable or disable character, word, paragraph, and space counts individually.

How are characters counted?

The character count excludes HTML tags and whitespace. It reflects the visible text length, which is useful for SEO titles, meta descriptions, and platforms with strict character limits.

Does it work while I type in the visual editor?

Yes. Counts update in real time as you type in both the visual and text (HTML) editor views.

Can I see word counts for existing posts without opening each one?

Yes. Since v1.0.7, the Posts list includes an All Counts column showing word, character, paragraph, and space totals for each post. Counts are calculated automatically when the plugin is activated and updated whenever a post is saved.

Does this plugin slow down my site?

No. The counters run only in the WordPress admin area while you edit content. They do not affect your front-end pages or site visitors.

Does it work with custom post types?

Live counters work on any admin screen that uses a standard HTML textarea. The All Counts column in the posts list applies to standard posts.

Does Count CWP work with the Block (Gutenberg) editor?

The live counters were originally built for the Classic editor and any standard HTML textarea field. The “All Counts” column in the Posts list works for every post, regardless of whether it was written in the Classic editor or in Gutenberg.

Can I track word and character counts for WooCommerce product descriptions?

Yes. As long as the product description uses a standard text or HTML editor field, the live counters appear below it and the All Counts column tracks the totals.

Can I use Count CWP to stay within SEO meta title and description limits?

Yes. The character counter shows the visible text length (excluding HTML and whitespace), which makes it perfect for keeping SEO titles, meta descriptions, ad copy, and social media snippets within their character limits.

Reviews

Produce Errors

By metaeditor on December 3, 2022

Produce Error on Media with folowing message in the console tinymce-keyup.min.js?wp-mce-49110-20201110:1 Uncaught ReferenceError: counter is not defined Disturb other Plugins in function Nice looking but it hooks in to many places not realy needet Would be nice if hook only on Posts/Page pages and there only on the content Form!!

Very useful plugin

By mhornet on September 14, 2022

Very usefull! Thnx

Useful

By liaris on September 11, 2021

Useful

Very useful plugin

By stonebug on September 10, 2021

Works as expected, it counts words, paragraphs, and characters. A useful tool for copywriters, editors, or anybody who writes directly on WP.

Simple and dynamic!

By kouma on September 8, 2021

Love it! You just install it and it's ready, no further configuration is needed. Displays words, characters, and even paragraphs. It's light and haven't spotted any bugs. Must have already!

Useful

By panon on September 7, 2021

Useful for taking a quick glance on what you have in text (especially if you care for search engine optimization)

Changelog

25-May-2026 : v1.0.9

Bug Fix: Fixed a JavaScript error (counter is not defined) that prevented character, word, paragraph, and space counts from updating in the Visual editor.
Full compatibility with WordPress 7.x.
Minor fixes and improvements.

31-Jan-2025 : v1.0.7

New Feature: Added a column in the admin posts list displaying word, character, paragraph, and space counts for each post.
New Feature: Automatic batch processing to calculate and store word, character, paragraph, and space counts upon activation.
Bug Fix: Resolved deprecated property warning in class-admin.php.
Full compatibility with WordPress 6.7.x.
Minor fixes and improvements.

18-Apr-2024 : v1.0.6

Full compatibility with WordPress 6.5.x.
Minor fixes and improvements.

23-Oct-2023 : v1.0.5

Full compatibility with WordPress 6.3.x.
Minor fixes and improvements.

07-Jun-2023 : v1.0.4

Compatibility: Fully compatible with WordPress 6.2.
Minor fixes and improvements.

05-Sep-2022 : v1.0.3

New Feature: Display space count below HTML textarea fields (Enable via settings).
Minor fixes and improvements.

14-Jun-2022 : v1.0.2

Compatibility: Fully compatible with WordPress 6.0.
Minor fixes and improvements.

11-Feb-2022 : v1.0.1

Compatibility: Fully compatible with WordPress 5.9.
Minor fixes and improvements.

03-Sep-2021 : v1.0.0

Initial beta release.