Word counter hero image.

Word counter

Quickly check the word count of online documents and ensure they meets any length requirements with Microsoft word. 

Create a documentUpload document

Use the free online word counter in Word

View your document’s word count at any time within Word for the web. Click the word count for additional stats including characters, paragraphs, and overall readability.

See word count at a glance

Look in the bottom-left corner of the page in any Word document to see real-time word count. As you write, the word count total updates automatically without the need for additional shortcuts to view.

See document word count
Abstract of a word count in Microsoft Word.

Get character count and more document stats

Select the word count to see the total number of characters (with and without spaces), paragraphs, and the time to read and present your document. The Flesch-Kincaid readability and Microsoft Editor scores also provide tips to improve the flow of your document and reader comprehension.

Explore unique document stats
An abstract of the word count tool in Microsoft Word.

Check word count by section

Highlight any section using your cursor to see the exact word count. Check the word count for a single phrase, sentence, or paragraph in a quick glance. Select the word counter to see other document stats for that section.

Try out the word counter
Check word count by section

Evaluate length for essay requirements

Track a document's progress against word count specific submission requirements. The word counter will provide insight if the document requires more or less words to meet the benchmark.

Check a document now
Business letters writing with confidence

Optimize social media character counts in Word

Plan social media posts and ad copy with optimized character limits for each platform. Test different content lengths, and plan out a batch of posts with an optimized length in Word to save time.

Create a document
Optimize social media character count.

Achieve writing goals faster

Keep momentum going when writing a large document, like a book or dissertation with the word counter. Pace yourself with daily word count goals to break the project into manageable pieces. Highlight sections to see how much you’ve done per week or month.

Start writing with confidence
An abstract of a business proposal.

Send documents to clients with accurate word counts 

Ensure accurate price-per-word document writing payments with word counter stats in Word. When the recipient opens your Word doc in editing mode, they can view the word count to verify its length.

Collaborate on Word
Send documents with accurate word counts

Helpful and accurate word counter for all users

  • Students: double-check while writing essays and papers.

  • Researchers: quickly condense lengthy papers into abstract documents.

  • Social media marketing managers: effortlessly write optimized post and ad content across all platforms.

  • SEO teams: easily create short and long-form blog articles, posts, and landing page content.

  • Freelance writers: accurately count words and characters to generate correct invoices.

  • Prospective employees: ensure job application forms and CV submissions meet requirements.

Common word counter use cases.

How to check word count in Word

  1. Begin a Word document online or on desktop

  2. Start typing or paste your content

  3. Look in the bottom-left corner to see the word count in the status bar

  4. Highlight a section to see its word count

  5. Click on the word count for more document stats like character count

How to edit and share documents online

Read more

Frequently asked questions

Check document word count and meet length requirements with Microsoft Word

Create a document