If you are writing an essay for school, a freelance article, or a manuscript for a publisher, you almost certainly have a strict word count limit. Knowing exactly how many words and characters you have written is essential to hitting your target without rambling.
Microsoft Word has a built-in counter that tracks your progress in real-time, and finding it is incredibly easy.
The Fastest Way: The Status Bar
You do not need to click through any menus to see your basic word count.
Simply look at the bottom-left corner of the Microsoft Word window. In the blue Status Bar, right next to the page number (e.g., “Page 1 of 5”), you will see the total word count for your entire document (e.g., “1,240 words”).
This number updates automatically every time you press the spacebar.
How to Count Words in a Specific Paragraph
If you only want to know the length of a specific section (such as an introduction or a single chapter), you do not need to do any math.
- Use your mouse to highlight the specific text you want to count.
- Look down at the Status Bar again.
The word count display will automatically change to show a fraction, such as “250 of 1,240 words”. This tells you that your highlighted section is exactly 250 words long, out of the document’s total 1,240 words.
How to See Advanced Statistics (Character Count)
Sometimes a word count is not enough. If you are writing a social media post, a meta description, or submitting text to a strict online form, you might be asked for a character limit (which includes every single letter, number, and space).
- Go to the Review tab on the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
- Click on the Word Count button (it has an icon with the number 123 and lines of text).
Pro Tip: You can also just click directly on the word count number in the bottom Status Bar to instantly open this menu without navigating to the Review tab.
A small “Word Count” window will pop up on your screen. This box provides a complete statistical breakdown of your document, including:
- Pages
- Words
- Characters (no spaces)
- Characters (with spaces)
- Paragraphs
- Lines
At the bottom of this box, there is also a critical checkbox labeled “Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes.” If your academic paper has extensive footnotes, make sure to check or uncheck this box depending on your professor’s specific grading rules regarding word counts.