How to Check the Word Count in Word
Essays, articles, job applications and competition entries often come with a strict word or character limit. Word keeps a live count for you — you just need to know where to look.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Live word count | Status bar at the bottom of the window |
| Full statistics | Ctrl + Shift + G or Review → Word Count |
| Count part of a document | Select the text first |
1. Look at the status bar
The bar along the bottom of the Word window shows the total number of words, for example 1,245 words. It updates as you type.
Not there? Right-click the status bar and tick Word Count.
2. See the full statistics
Press Ctrl + Shift + G, click the word count in the status bar, or go to Review → Word Count. You'll see:
• Pages
• Words
• Characters (no spaces)
• Characters (with spaces)
• Paragraphs
• Lines
• Words
• Characters (no spaces)
• Characters (with spaces)
• Paragraphs
• Lines
3. Count just one section
Select the paragraph or section you want to count. The status bar changes to show something like 150 of 1,245 words. Open the Word Count box for full details on just the selection.
To count several separate bits, hold Ctrl while selecting each one.
4. Include or exclude footnotes
In the Word Count box, the Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes tick box decides whether those are counted. Check the rules you've been given — many universities exclude references and footnotes.
Characters with or without spaces?
Online forms and social platforms usually count characters with spaces. Some publishers count without spaces. Word shows both, so pick the one that matches your limit.
On a Mac
The word count is in the status bar too. Click it, or go to Tools → Word Count in the menu bar.
Troubleshooting
The count seems too high. Headers, footers and text boxes may be included. Untick the footnotes option or select just the main text.
Hyphenated words. Word counts "well-known" as one word, which matches most style guides.
Wrapping up
Glance at the status bar for a quick check, and press Ctrl + Shift + G when you need characters, paragraphs or line counts.
