Markdown word counter
A word count that ignores the markdown. Code blocks, URLs, image markup and front matter are left out, so the number matches what a reader actually reads.
Markdown
Counts
- Words
- 0
- Characters
- 0
- Without spaces
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Headings
- 0
- Links
- 0
- Images
- 0
- Code blocks
- 0
- Reading time
- 1 min
- Read aloud
- 1 min
Code blocks, inline code, URLs, image markup and front matter are left out of the word count. Link text is counted, because a reader reads it.
How it works
- Front matter, fenced code, inline code and image markup are stripped before anything is counted.
- Link text is kept and the URL is dropped, because a reader reads the text and not the address.
- Reading time uses 220 words a minute for silent reading and 130 for reading aloud, which are the usual estimates for adult English prose.
Questions
Why is this lower than my editor's count?
Because your editor counts the syntax: every hash, asterisk and URL. For a technical document with code samples the difference is easily a third.
Does it count words in tables?
Yes, the cell contents count. The pipes and dashes do not.