tigtools

Keyword Density Checker

Paste your text to see which words and phrases it repeats most, and how often a chosen keyword appears.

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Keyword density is not a target to optimise for. Search engines look at meaning and usefulness, not a percentage, and repeating a keyword unnaturally makes text harder to read and can be treated as keyword stuffing. Use this to spot accidental repetition and check that your main topic is clear.

How to use it

  1. Paste your text into the box.
  2. Choose whether to see single words, two-word or three-word phrases, and whether to exclude stop words.
  3. Sort the table by count, density or phrase. Optionally enter a target keyword to see its exact count and density.

How it works

The text is split into words (letters and digits; apostrophes inside a word are kept, so “don't” is one word) and compared without regard to case. Phrases are built only within a sentence or line, so the last word of one sentence and the first word of the next never form a phrase.

Density is calculated as occurrences × words in the phrase ÷ total words × 100. For example, a two-word phrase that appears 3 times in a 300-word text has a density of 2 %. Total words always include stop words. When stop words are excluded, single stop words are hidden and longer phrases that begin or end with one (“of the”, “coffee is”) are skipped, while phrases with a stop word in the middle (“cup of coffee”) are kept. The stop-word list is a short list of common English words, so for other languages turn the filter off. Single numbers are not listed as keywords.

There is no ideal keyword density. Search engines do not reward a particular percentage, and their guidelines describe excessive repetition as keyword stuffing. Write for readers first, use synonyms and related terms naturally, and use this tool to catch words you have repeated without noticing.

Examples

Spotting over-repetition

In a 120-word product text, “stainless steel water bottle” appears 6 times (15 % density for the 3-word phrase). Replacing a few with “bottle” or “it” reads more naturally.

Checking the main topic

An article meant to be about “cold brew” shows “espresso” as its most frequent two-word phrase. That suggests the focus drifted and the introduction may need rewriting.

Comparing two drafts

Paste each draft and note the top five phrases. If the important terms are missing from one version, it may answer the reader's question less directly.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good keyword density?

There is no recommended value. Use your main term where it fits naturally, typically in the title, the first paragraph and some headings, and do not count percentages.

Why do multi-word phrases have higher density than their count suggests?

Density multiplies the count by the number of words in the phrase, because a two-word phrase takes up two words of the text. This is the most common way keyword density is calculated.

Does the tool handle languages other than English?

Word counting works for any language that uses spaces between words, including accented and non-Latin letters. The stop-word filter is English only, so switch it off for other languages.

Why is a phrase missing from the list?

Two- and three-word phrases are shown only when they appear at least twice. With stop words excluded, phrases that start or end with a stop word are also left out.

Privacy

Your text is analysed in your browser. It is not uploaded, stored or included in analytics.