This free online summarization tool was created to help struggling readers process overwhelming amounts of information. However, the general approach will help any busy student, teacher, or professional.

How it Works

After text is placed on the page, the web app calculates the frequency of each word in the passage. Then, a score is calculated for each sentence based on the frequency count associated with the words it contains. The most important sentence is deemed to be the sentence with the highest frequency count.

Obviously, human readers may disagree with this automated approach to text summarization. Automated text summarization works best on expository text such as textbooks and reference material (non-fiction). The results can be skewed when a passage has only a few sentences. Text Compactor is not recommended for use with fiction (i.e., stories about imaginary people, places, events).


Text Compactor was created by Keith Edyburn for Knowledge by Design, Inc. It is based on the Open Text Summarizer.