What a word count means

What counts as a word

Most tools count a word as a run of letters or digits between spaces. In practice:

• Contractions such as "don't" count as one word.
• Hyphenated words such as "well-known" count as one word in most word processors.
• Numbers count as words: "2026" is one word.
• Punctuation on its own usually isn't a word, though some tools count a dash with spaces round it. PowerPoint includes punctuation in its count.

Why tools give different counts

Each tool draws the edges of a word a little differently. Google Docs leaves headers, footers and footnotes out of its count unless you select them. The wc command counts anything between spaces, including a lone dash. Chinese and Japanese don't use spaces at all, so tools have to guess where words end.

The difference is usually a few words in a few hundred. If a limit is strict, use the count from the tool the reader will use, such as the application form's own counter.

What common word counts look like

| Word count | Single-spaced pages | Double-spaced pages | Reading time | |---|---|---|---| | 250 | 0.5 | 1 | about 1 minute | | 500 | 1 | 2 | about 2 minutes | | 1,000 | 2 | 4 | about 4 minutes | | 2,000 | 4 | 8 | about 8 minutes |

Pages assume 500 words single-spaced and 250 double-spaced in a 12-point font with standard margins. Reading time uses 238 words a minute, the average silent reading speed for adults reading English non-fiction.

Check your own count

Paste your text into the counter on this page to see words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time. To find the count inside your writing app, see Word, Pages or the shortcuts guide.