Does Microsoft Word Have a Word Count Tool?
Yes — and it's more capable than most people realize. Here's where to find it and what it actually tracks.
Microsoft Word has had a word count feature for decades, and it's one of the more thorough implementations around. Most people know the basic version — that little "X words" indicator at the bottom left of the screen — but the full word count panel gives you quite a bit more. Here's everything it does and how to get to it.
Where to find the word count
The quickest way is the status bar at the bottom of the document window. It shows your current word count in real time as you type — click on it and the full Word Count dialog opens. You can also go to the Review tab on the ribbon and click "Word Count" in the Proofing section. Either way gets you to the same place.
What the Word Count dialog shows
The dialog gives you six numbers: pages, words, characters (no spaces), characters (with spaces), paragraphs, and lines. That's more than most writing tools offer. The characters-with-spaces figure is especially useful if you're writing for platforms with character limits like Twitter, SMS, or email subject lines.
Counting selected text only
One thing Word does well is counting just the text you've highlighted. Select a paragraph — or any chunk of text — and the status bar updates to show "X of Y words," meaning the selected words out of the total. This is useful when you're trying to trim a specific section or check the length of a block quote.
The footnotes and endnotes question
By default, Word includes footnotes and endnotes in the word count. If your assignment specifies "words in the main body only," that's a problem — your count will be inflated. The Word Count dialog has a checkbox to include or exclude textboxes, footnotes, and endnotes. Make sure you know what your institution or editor expects.
When you don't have Word open
Word is powerful, but it requires installing Microsoft Office or having a 365 subscription. If you're on a device without Word — a work computer, a friend's laptop, a tablet — a browser-based word counter does the same job instantly. No installation, no login, just paste and count.