How this estimate works
AI models such as GPT and Claude break text into pieces called tokens before processing it, not whole words. A widely used rule of thumb, published by OpenAI, is that in English text one token is roughly 4 characters, or equivalently, 100 tokens is roughly 75 words. This calculator applies that rule to your text as you type.
This is a fast estimate, not an exact count. Real tokenizers vary slightly between models, and languages other than English, code, and text with lots of numbers or punctuation can tokenize quite differently. For an exact count for a specific OpenAI model, use OpenAI's own tokenizer tool.
Why token counts matter
Every AI model has a maximum context window, the total number of tokens it can take in as input and generate as output in one conversation. Going over that limit means older text gets dropped or the request is rejected. Many APIs also bill by the token, so a rough token count helps estimate both fit and, separately, relative cost.
📖 Guide: How Many Tokens Is My Text? A Quick Estimation Guide
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Frequently asked questions
Is this an exact token count?
No. It is a fast estimate using the standard rule of thumb of about 4 characters per token in English. For an exact count for a specific model, use that provider's own tokenizer.
How many words is 1,000 tokens?
Roughly 750 words, using the standard estimate of about 0.75 words per token.
Do GPT and Claude count tokens the same way?
Their tokenizers differ in the details, but for ordinary English text the totals are usually close, generally within about 10 to 15% of each other.
Why does my text use more tokens than expected?
Uncommon words, code, non-English text, and heavy punctuation or numbers typically break into more tokens per character than plain English prose.
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