The fastest way to see your word count

Open your document in Microsoft Word and look at the bottom left of the window. You will see a number followed by "Words" — that is your total word count, and it updates as you type. If you do not see it, the status bar may be hidden. Right-click the bottom of the window and select "Customize Status Bar", then check the box next to "Word Count".

If you want more detail than just the total — like character count, paragraph count, or page count — use the Word Count dialog box instead. Go to the Review tab at the top, click Word Count, and a window will open showing you all those numbers at once.

The word count updates in real time as you type, so you can watch it change as you add or delete text. This is useful if you are writing to a specific length requirement, like an essay that needs to be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.

Key Takeaways

  • Your total word count appears in the bottom left corner of the Word window by default, and it updates as you type.
  • If the word count is not visible at the bottom, right-click the status bar and enable it in the Customize Status Bar menu.
  • The Review tab contains a Word Count button that opens a detailed dialog showing words, characters, paragraphs, and pages.
  • Word counts only the text in your document, not headers, footers, or text in shapes or text boxes unless you open the full Word Count dialog.

What gets counted and what does not

Word counts every word in your document body — that is the main text between the margins. Numbers count as words if they stand alone (like "2024"), but hyphenated words like "mother-in-law" count as one word, not two. Contractions like "do not" count as one word each.

Headers and footers do not count toward your total by default. Neither do text boxes, shapes with text inside them, or footnotes and endnotes — unless you open the full Word Count dialog box, which gives you the option to include them. If you need those elements counted, open the Word Count dialog, check the box for "Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes", and the number will update.

Comments and tracked changes do not count. If you have comments in your document or changes marked for review, they stay separate from the word count.

Using Word Count for specific sections

If you only want to count words in part of your document, highlight the text you want to measure first. Then open the Word Count dialog (Review tab, then Word Count button). The dialog will show you the count for just the selected text in a separate line labeled "Selection".

This is helpful if you are writing a paper with multiple sections and each section has its own word limit. You can select each section one at a time and check whether it meets the requirement without counting the whole document.

Checking word count on Mac

On a Mac, the process is nearly identical. Look for the word count in the bottom left corner of your window. If it is not there, click the Word menu at the top left, then select Preferences, go to View, and check the box for "Status bar".

To open the full Word Count dialog on Mac, go to the Tools menu and select Word Count. The dialog that opens shows the same information as the Windows version: words, characters, paragraphs, and pages.

Why your word count might seem wrong

If your word count looks higher than you expected, check whether you have text in headers, footers, or text boxes. Open the Word Count dialog and look at the "Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes" checkbox — if it is checked, those elements are being counted. Uncheck it if you do not want them included.

Another common reason is that Word counts each number as a word. If your document has a lot of dates, times, or numerical data, that will add to your total. There is no way to exclude numbers from the count, but knowing this helps you understand why the number is higher than the number of actual words you typed.

If you are copying text from another source and pasting it into Word, extra spaces or formatting sometimes get pasted too. These do not affect word count, but they can make the document look longer than it is. Use Paste Special (Ctrl+Shift+V on Windows, Cmd+Shift+V on Mac) and select "Unformatted Text" to paste without the extra formatting.

Tracking word count over time

Word does not have a built-in feature to track how your word count changes from day to day, but you can do it manually. Take a screenshot of the word count dialog or write down the number at the end of each writing session. This helps you see your progress if you are working on a long project like a thesis or novel.

If you want a more automated approach, you can save different versions of your document with dates in the filename — like "essay_draft1_jan15.docx" and "essay_draft2_jan20.docx" — then check the word count in each version to see how much you have added.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Word count hyphenated words as one word or two?

Hyphenated words count as one word. So "mother-in-law" is one word, not three. This applies to any word with a hyphen in the middle.

Can I see word count while I am typing without opening a dialog?

Yes. The word count appears in the status bar at the bottom left of your window and updates in real time as you type. If you do not see it, right-click the status bar and enable it in Customize Status Bar.

What if I only want to count words in one paragraph?

Highlight just that paragraph, then open the Word Count dialog. It will show you the count for the selected text separately from the total document count.

Do headers and footers count toward my word count?

Not by default. The quick word count at the bottom of the window excludes headers and footers. If you open the full Word Count dialog and check "Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes", headers and footers will be included in that count.

Why does my word count include numbers?

Word counts standalone numbers as words. A date like "2024" or a time like "3:30 PM" each count as one word. There is no way to exclude numbers from the count in Word.