The Importance of Word Counts
Whether you are a university student desperately trying to hit a 2,000-word essay minimum, a freelance writer constrained by a strict publication maximum, or a marketing professional crafting a concise social media caption, knowing exactly how many words you have written is critical. Unlike a typewriter where you simply guess the length by the number of pages, modern word processors track every single character you type in real-time.
While Microsoft Word famously displays your total word count permanently in the bottom left corner of the screen by default, Google Docs takes a more minimalist approach. Google hides the word count to keep the writing interface as clean and distraction-free as possible.
Fortunately, checking your word count in Google Docs takes less than a second once you know the keyboard shortcut, and you can even force the word count to stay permanently visible on your screen.
How to Check Your Total Word Count
If you just want to do a quick check to see how long your document currently is, you can use the built-in Tools menu.
- Open your document in Google Docs.
- Look at the top menu bar and click on Tools.
- From the dropdown menu, select Word count.
A small window will pop up in the middle of your screen. This window provides a complete breakdown of your document’s length, displaying four specific metrics:
- Pages: The physical number of standard A4/Letter pages your text occupies.
- Words: The total number of words in the document.
- Characters: The total number of individual letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.
- Characters (excluding spaces): The character count without counting the blank spaces between words (often required for strict academic or grant applications).
Click the OK button to close the window and return to writing.
The Keyboard Shortcut (The Fastest Method)
If you check your word count frequently, clicking through menus will become tedious. You should memorise the universal keyboard shortcut instead.
- On a Windows PC or Chromebook: Press Ctrl + Shift + C simultaneously.
- On a Mac: Press Command (⌘) + Shift + C simultaneously.
Pressing this combination will instantly summon the exact same Word Count summary box mentioned above.
How to Keep the Word Count Permanently Visible
If you are writing to a strict deadline and need to monitor your progress in real-time, you can force Google Docs to display a live, updating word count directly on your screen as you type.
- Press the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + Shift + C or Cmd + Shift + C) to open the Word Count box.
- Look at the very bottom of the pop-up box. You will see a small checkbox labeled Display word count while typing.
- Click the checkbox to enable it.
- Click OK.
A small, floating box will immediately appear in the bottom-left corner of your screen showing your current word count. As you type new words, or delete old ones, the number will update instantly.
How to Count Words in a Specific Paragraph
Sometimes you do not need to know the length of the entire document; you only need to know the length of a specific section (like an introduction or a quote).
- Using your mouse, highlight the specific paragraph or sentences you want to measure. The text will turn blue.
- Press the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + Shift + C or Cmd + Shift + C).
The Word Count box will now display two sets of numbers (e.g., “Words: 45 of 800”). The first number represents the words you currently have highlighted, and the second number represents the total words in the entire document. If you have the live word count box enabled in the bottom-left corner, simply highlighting text will instantly change the box to display the count for that specific highlighted section.
