Keyword Density Checker
Keyword density checker: how often keywords and phrases appear, with counts and density for 1, 2 and 3 word phrases. Free, no sign-up, and it runs in your browser.
Dedicated page: /en/keyword-density-checker
Paste text above to see the density tables for 1, 2 and 3 word phrases.
Report an Issue
Found a mistake or a problem with this tool? Tell us below.
Quick answer
A keyword density checker measures how often a keyword or phrase appears in a text, as a percentage of the total words. SEO writers use it to confirm a page targets its keyword without keyword stuffing, and to see which 1, 2 and 3 word phrases the text repeats most.
About this Keyword Density Checker
Keyword density checker: how often keywords and phrases appear, with counts and density for 1, 2 and 3 word phrases. It is one of the Text Tools on ToolUstad, and like every tool here it runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type, paste or open is uploaded to a server, and there is no sign-up or usage limit.
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is the percentage of a text made up of a chosen keyword or phrase. If a 1,000 word article uses "roof repair" 15 times as a two word phrase, that is 30 words out of 1,000, a 3 percent density for that phrase. Search engines no longer rank pages by density alone, but the number is still the fastest way to spot two problems: a page that never really targets its keyword, and a page that repeats it so often it reads as spam.
How this checker analyses your text
Paste your article and type the keyword you are targeting. The checker counts exact matches, works out the density, and separately scans the whole text for the most frequent 1, 2 and 3 word phrases, ignoring common stop words like "the" and "and". The phrase tables often reveal the topic your draft actually emphasises, which is not always the topic you intended.
What is a good keyword density?
| Density | Reading | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Under 0.5% | Too light | The page may not read as relevant to the keyword |
| 0.5% to 1.5% | Natural range for most content | Typical for well written, focused articles |
| 1.5% to 3% | Heavy | Check the text still reads naturally out loud |
| Over 3% | Stuffing risk | Rewrite with synonyms and related terms |
When and why to check density
- Before publishing: confirm the target keyword appears in the draft a sensible number of times.
- Editing client or AI drafts: generated text often repeats the keyword in every paragraph.
- Refreshing old pages: compare the phrase profile of a stale page against its search intent.
- Competitor insight: paste a ranking page to see which phrases it emphasises.
Best practices
- Use the keyword in the title, one heading and the first paragraph, then write naturally.
- Spread related terms and synonyms through the text instead of repeating one phrase.
- Check 2 and 3 word phrases, not just single words, because search queries are phrases.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Chasing a fixed percentage as if Google published one: it has not.
- Forcing the keyword into every heading until the page reads like a list of ads.
- Ignoring the phrase tables and missing an accidental topic drift in the draft.
Who is the keyword density checker for?
SEO writers, content editors, bloggers and agency staff reviewing drafts before publication. Counting phrase occurrences by hand in a 2,000 word article is practically impossible, and a spreadsheet workaround takes longer than the edit itself.
Reading the phrase tables like an editor
The single keyword percentage is the least interesting number on this page. The 1, 2 and 3 word phrase tables are where editing insight lives. If your article about "espresso machines" shows "the machine" and "you can" outranking every topic phrase, the draft is spending its words on filler. If a competitor's ranking page repeats a phrase you never use, like "under $500" or "for beginners", that is the angle their page satisfies and yours may be missing.
Density and modern search
Google now understands topics through entities and context, not phrase counting, which is why the goal of this check is editorial quality rather than a score. Use the checker at two moments: after the first draft, to confirm the page is genuinely about its stated topic, and after any heavy AI assisted edit, because generated rewrites quietly inflate repetition. Then stop optimising the number and go back to improving examples, data and answers, which is what actually separates ranking pages in 2026.
Learn: how to use the Keyword Density Checker
- Paste your article or page copy into the box.
- Optionally type a target keyword or phrase to see its exact count and density at the top, highlighted in every table.
- Read the three tables: single keywords, 2-word phrases and 3-word phrases, sorted by frequency.
Features
- Total word count plus target keyword count and density
- Top 15 rows for 1, 2 and 3 word phrases with density bars
- Optional stop-word exclusion for the single-word table
- Target phrase highlighted wherever it appears
Worked example
In a 1,000-word article, a keyword used 25 times has a density of 2.50%. The same article might show a 2-word phrase 12 times (1.20%) which usually signals natural, well-spread usage.
Frequently asked questions
What keyword density should I aim for?
There is no proven ideal percentage. Most natural writing lands between 0.5% and 2.5% for a main keyword. Use this tool to spot stuffing and accidental repetition, not to chase a number.
Why check 2 and 3 word phrases?
Readers and search engines notice repeated phrases more than single words. A 3-word phrase repeated 10 times reads as spam even when each word's density looks fine.
Are stop words excluded?
In the 1-word table you can exclude common stop words like "the" and "and" so real keywords stand out. Phrase tables always use the full text.
Is my text uploaded for analysis?
No. The analysis runs in your browser.
Does Google use keyword density as a ranking factor?
Not as a fixed formula. Google representatives have repeatedly said there is no ideal density. The metric is still useful as an editing check: it catches pages that barely mention their topic and pages that repeat a phrase unnaturally.
What density counts as keyword stuffing?
There is no official line, but a single phrase above roughly 3 percent of total words usually reads as forced and risks looking manipulative. Natural articles on a focused topic typically land between 0.5 and 1.5 percent.
Should I check density for every page?
It is most valuable for money pages, long guides and AI assisted drafts, where repetition creeps in unnoticed. For short posts, a quick scan of the top phrases table is usually enough.
Related tools
More Text Tools like this one, plus two picks from other categories. Each opens its own dedicated page.