Keyword Density Checker: Free Online Text Analyzer
Paste your draft into this keyword density checker to see which words and phrases you repeat most. It counts words, flags terms above 3%, and scores readability, all in your browser. Upload a .txt, .pdf, or .docx file, or just paste from Google Docs. Results update about 300 milliseconds after you stop typing.
| Keyword / Phrase | Count | Density | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter text to start analysis... | |||
- Free & Browser-Based:
This tool is free to use. Your text is analyzed locally in your browser and is not sent to our servers. - Built-in Limits for Speed:
To keep the tool fast on all devices, file uploads are capped at 10 MB per document (.txt, .pdf, .docx). - Density Guidance:
The tool flags keywords above 3% density as potential stuffing. Aim for natural usage; there is no single "safe" percentage guaranteed by search engines. - Auto-Save:
Your draft text is saved automatically in your browser's local storage so you can resume later. Clearing your browser data removes it.
Reading the Results Dashboard
At its simplest, the tool is a word density checker. Start with the counters above the text box: Words come from a whitespace split, and Read Time assumes 200 words per minute. “Unique” counts unique phrases in the active tab after filtering, so it changes when you switch tabs.
Content Analysis Cards
Below the table, cards report Sentences, Paragraphs, average words per sentence, longest word, a readability band, and an SEO Score. Sentence counts rely on end punctuation, so abbreviations like “e.g.” can inflate them. PDF uploads usually report one paragraph, since page text has no blank lines.
Density Badges and Colors
Each row in the results table gets a color-coded bar and a level badge:
| Badge | Density | Color | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 1% or less | Blue | Fine for supporting terms. Add mentions only if the term is your main topic. |
| Easy | Above 1% to 2% | Green | Comfortable range for most primary phrases. |
| Med | Above 2% to 3% | Amber | Reread the passages. Vary wording where it sounds repetitive. |
| High | Above 3% | Red row with ⚠ | Treat as possible stuffing. Cut or rephrase. |
The status pill shows SEO Healthy (green) or Stuffing! (red), based only on the top row. The SEO Score (0–100) starts at 100 and loses 25 points per percentage point the top term sits from 2%: a 4% top term scores 50, and a 1% term scores 75.
The Science of Density: Why 1–3% Matters
A keyword density checker measures how often a term appears compared with everything else counted. Many editors target roughly 1–2% for a primary phrase. Past 3%, copy tends to sound repetitive, and Google’s spam policies on keyword stuffing describe repeated terms used to manipulate rankings as a violation that can reduce visibility. Google sets no percentage target; 3% is this tool’s editing line.
How This Tool Calculates the Percentage
To calculate keyword density by hand, divide a term’s count by the total counted and multiply by 100. The tool’s keyword density calculation works the same way, but the total is the phrases left after your filters, not raw words. With Filter Stop Words on, the denominator shrinks and percentages rise.
Suppose a 1,000-word post has 400 stop words, leaving 600 counted. A term used 12 times shows 2.0% (12 ÷ 600), versus 1.2% against all 1,000 words. Turn the filter off for a figure closer to that classic math.
Beyond Single Words: Phrase Tabs
Single words rarely tell the whole story. A post about email marketing may repeat “email” constantly, yet the useful signal lives in phrases such as “email subject lines” or “welcome sequence.” The 2-Words, 3-Words, and 4-Words tabs surface those repeats. Used as a keyword frequency analyzer, the tabs show which phrases dominate your draft and which target phrases you barely mention.
In phrase tabs, the stop-word filter drops any phrase that starts or ends with a stop word but keeps stop words in the middle. Each tab also measures density against its own total. Rows sort by count, so the table doubles as a keyword counter tool, and a search box narrows rows by text. Click any keyword to copy it.
Cleaning Your Data with Filters
Filters decide what this keyword density checker counts. Defaults: Filter Stop Words on, Case Sensitive off, Exclude Numbers off, Strip Punctuation on. Four more controls refine the table:
- Exclude Custom Words: Enter comma-separated terms, such as brand names. Entries must match a whole word or phrase, so “acme” will not remove “acme software.”
- Min. Frequency: Hide rows below 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10 occurrences.
- Min. Letters: Skip entries shorter than 3, 4, 5, or 8 characters. Phrase length includes spaces.
- Show Top Results: Limit rows to 10, 20, 30, 50, or 100.
Exclude Numbers drops digit-only entries, so it helps little on phrases.
Stop Words and the English Limit
The built-in list covers common English words such as “the,” “and,” and “with,” but it is not exhaustive. “Would” and “could” are missing, and jargon or brand names stay until you add them to the custom list. Contractions can slip through too: with Strip Punctuation on, “don’t” becomes “dont” before the check. For other languages, turn the filter off.
Tracking Your Main Goal
Type your focus phrase into the Target Keyword Tracker. It counts that phrase separately from the table, applies your current filters, and ignores case. A bar and badge show the result: Not Found, Too Low (under 0.5%), Optimal (0.5–3%), or Stuffing (above 3%).
Say you are editing a 900-word WordPress post about “standing desk converters” and the tracker reads Too Low. Add the phrase to the opening paragraph, one subheading, and the closing line, then recheck. Stop at Optimal; pushing toward 3% adds risk, not value.
One catch: if your phrase begins or ends with a stop word, such as “the content tools,” the tracker reports Not Found while Filter Stop Words is on. Punctuation matters too. A phrase typed with a hyphen cannot match when Strip Punctuation is on.
Readability vs. Keywords
The content readability score here comes from the Flesch Reading Ease equation, part of the Flesch–Kincaid family of tests. The tool shows a band instead of a number: Easy (above 70), Medium (above 50), Hard (above 30), or Very Hard. Syllables come from a rule-based estimate, so treat the band as approximate.
Keywords and readability can pull against each other. Forcing a phrase into long, stacked sentences often drops the band toward Hard. If that happens, split the sentence rather than cutting the phrase. A Hard band can still suit technical documentation; the scale does not know your audience.
Your Text Stays in Your Browser
You can check keyword density online without creating an account. Here is what happens to your text:
Your text is analyzed locally in your browser. No data is sent to our servers. Uploaded files are processed temporarily in memory and discarded immediately after analysis. Your session data (text, settings) is saved in your browser’s local storage for convenience.
Two clarifications. Text from an uploaded file lands in the text box, so auto-save stores it like pasted text. Only your draft, dark-mode choice, and font size are saved; filters reset on reload. Press Clear to remove the saved draft, especially on a shared computer. The PDF, DOCX, and export libraries load from cdnjs, which delivers code, not your text.
Professional Workflows for a Keyword Density Checker
Drafts, Newsletters, and Listings
Here is how different writers analyze keyword density with it:
- Bloggers: Paste a Google Docs or Microsoft Word draft, or a Medium or LinkedIn article, before publishing. Check the focus phrase and top 2-word phrases.
- Newsletter writers: Paste a Gmail draft and scan the 1-Word tab for words you lean on too often.
- Online sellers: Review repeated phrases in product copy before pasting it into an Amazon or Etsy listing.
- Students: Upload a .docx or paste a paper to spot overused terms.
- Developers: Paste README.md text; uploads accept only .txt, .pdf, and .docx.
Client Reports and Exports
This keyword density checker’s PDF button builds a plain keyword density report: a header with Words, Unique, Chars, Read Time, and SEO Score, followed by the rows in the current tab. There is no logo or branding option, so agencies should add their own cover page. CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, TXT saves a text summary, and Copy Table pastes tab-separated rows. Each export reflects the active tab and filters, so export every tab you need.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A keyword density checker reports numbers; judgment still matters. Watch for these:
- Chasing a number. No search engine publishes a safe percentage. Use the colors as a prompt to reread, not a target.
- Ignoring context. A term at 1.5% can still sound forced if it repeats in every paragraph. Read the draft aloud.
- Miscounting. Remember the denominator. With Strip Punctuation off, “tool,” and “tool” count as separate entries.
- Blind stuffing. Adding repeats just to turn a bar green defeats the purpose.
- Trusting one tab. The status pill and SEO Score reflect only the active tab.
Honest Limits of the Tool
As an SEO keyword density tool, this page measures repetition, not quality, relevance, or ranking potential. Keep these limits in mind: stop words are English-centric; Strip Punctuation also removes accented letters like é; hyphenated words count as one token; PDFs without selectable text return nothing; and each file is capped at 10 MB. Use the results for editorial review. Do not use them to engineer repetition that misleads search engines or readers.
Final Check Before You Publish
Run your next draft through the keyword density checker, fix anything flagged red, and read the draft aloud before you publish. Write for people first, and let the numbers confirm what your ear already tells you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is a good keyword density percentage?
Many editors aim for roughly 1–2% on a primary phrase. This tool labels 1–2% as Easy, 2–3% as Med, and flags anything above 3% as possible stuffing, which can look manipulative to readers and search engines. No search engine publishes an official target, so treat these numbers as editing guides. Percentages here are measured against the phrases left after your filters.
Q2: Does this keyword density checker work for Spanish or French?
It counts space-separated words in any language, but the stop-word list is built for English. For Spanish, French, or other languages, turn off Filter Stop Words and use the custom exclusion list. Also turn off Strip Punctuation, because it removes accented letters such as é and ñ. The readability band is tuned for English, too.
Q3: Can I upload Word docs directly?
Yes. The Upload button accepts .docx, .pdf, and .txt files up to 10 MB. Word files are read in your browser with Mammoth.js, and the extracted text fills the text box. PDFs without selectable text, such as scans, will not produce words.
Q4: Is my confidential manuscript safe?
Your text is analyzed locally in your browser and is not sent to our servers. Your draft is also saved in your browser’s local storage so you can resume later. On a shared computer, press Clear when you finish, or clear your browser data.
Q5: Why are “the” and “and” showing up in my results?
Filter Stop Words is probably off; it is on by default. With it on, those words disappear from the 1-Word tab. Words missing from the built-in English list, such as “would,” can still appear, so add them to Exclude Custom Words. In phrase tabs, stop words can still appear in the middle of a phrase.
Q6: What does the SEO Score mean?
It is a heuristic for the active tab. The score starts at 100 and drops 25 points for every percentage point your highest-density term sits from 2%, with a floor of 0. It is not a ranking prediction. Short texts often score low because a few repeated words dominate the percentages.
Q7: Can I export the results for a client report?
Yes. The PDF button creates a plain report with summary stats and the rows from the active tab. You can also export CSV, export a TXT summary, or copy the table for a spreadsheet. The PDF has no logo or branding option.
Q8: Does it count hyphenated words as one or two?
As one. The tool splits text on spaces only, so “well-known” stays a single token. With Strip Punctuation on, the hyphen is removed and the word becomes “wellknown”; with it off, the hyphen stays.
Q9: Do I need to install a keyword density checker?
No. This browser-based keyword density analyzer needs no download or sign up and works in a modern desktop or mobile browser. Your draft, dark-mode choice, and font size are saved only in that browser’s local storage, so nothing syncs across devices. PDF and DOCX reading and PDF export need their libraries to load, so keep an internet connection on for those.
Disclaimer
This keyword density checker tool provides statistical analysis based on heuristics, including word-frequency counts and the Flesch Reading Ease equation. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Google or any search engine, and it does not predict or promise rankings. Use results for editorial review only, never to manipulate search engines or mislead readers. Stop-word filtering is built for English, so accuracy for other languages may be limited, and results depend on the quality of the text you provide. The tool is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind.
Continue Your Optimization Workflow
After reviewing your keyword density and readability scores, verify the exact length of your final draft using our word counter. If you need to clean up repetitive lines or remove accidental duplicates found during analysis, try our duplicate remover. For broader content structuring and placeholder generation, explore our complete collection of text tools.