How To See Number Of Words In Google Docs

"The commodity should be 800 words…maximum."

I can't count the number of times an editor has assigned me a word count for a slice. In the world of writing, discussion count matters more we might think. Many publications decide how much to pay for freelance writing jobs based on article length.

Discussion count matters for book writers , as well. How many words in a novel? Did you know novels should exist at to the lowest degree 50,000 words? And that memoirs should be nether 100,000 words, but biographies can be up to 200,000 words?

Every bit a writer, do you etch drafts in Google Docs? (Here at The Write Life, we're pretty big fans of track changes in Google Docs.) You may exist wondering how to see the word count in Google Docs.

Adept news — it's unproblematic.

How to see word count in Google Docs

When it comes to give-and-take count, there are iii types of writers: Those who look at the discussion count after completing a draft, those who adopt to cheque in every once in a while and those who want to see the word count throughout the entire process.

If you fall into either of the first two categories, here are two strategies for viewing word count in Google Docs. (If you're in the third group, don't worry, there'south a method for you, also!)

i. In the upper left corner of Google Docs, click on Tools and scroll down to Give-and-take count.

A box will pop up that displays the number of pages, words, characters and characters excluding spaces in the Google Doc. Take a look and printing OK when y'all're gear up to hibernate the box.

2. There'southward a second way to check your discussion count in Google Docs: use the shortcut! But hitting Ctrl+Shift+C for the box to appear.

How to bank check word count in Google Docs for a clamper of text

Do you get the hunch that chapter iii of your novel is running a chip long? At that place's a mode to check discussion count in Google Docs without copying and pasting the affiliate's text into a separate document.

Highlight the relevant text, then either select Word count under Tools or use the Ctrl+Shift+C shortcut for the box to pop up.

This fourth dimension, the box will display how many pages, words, characters and characters excluding spaces are in this chunk of text with respect to the total number in the Google Doc.

How to view discussion count in Google Docs as you type

This strategy is for the third category of writers. Let's say an editor instructs you to keep an article under 1,200 words. You lot don't want to finish a draft but to discover it'south 1,800 words, then make heavy edits earlier you can submit the slice.

Just keep track as you go!

Either click on Word count or use the shortcut to bring up that little box. Then select Display give-and-take count while typing . A small-scale rectangle pops up in the lower left corner of the Google Doc that displays the give-and-take count.

Click the rectangle's arrow to meet the number of pages, characters and characters excluding spaces. Is the rectangle becoming annoying? Click that arrow and select Hibernate give-and-take count to get it out of your hair.

Once your document exceeds 3,676 words, the rectangle no longer shows the number of words. (Why that number? I accept no idea.) It volition merely say View word count , and yous tin can click on the rectangle to run across the details.

What is not included in the word count?

Be aware that Google Docs does non include certain things in its give-and-take count. It doesn't count anything in the header, footer or footnotes, even if you lot highlight the words in those sections and select Give-and-take count.

Google Docs also doesn't count symbols, such as # or $, in its word count. Information technology does count them as characters, though.

Information technology does include em-dashes, which look like — this. (Curious about how to type an em dash? It stumps a lot of writers, but we've got a unproblematic guide.) Keep in mind, it only counts an em-dash every bit a discussion if there are spaces on either side of it. If you lot type information technology like—this, Google Docs doesn't count the em-dash.

For case, I count 63 words in the to a higher place paragraph when I count manually, because I take symbols into consideration. Merely when I highlight the text and count using Google Docs, the word count appears as 60, because Google Docs didn't count either of the symbols or the em-dash without spaces.

Counting words can be a petty like losing weight. Some people prefer to step on the scales constantly, others like to check in every once in a while, and some just do a concluding weigh-in when they've completed their nutrition. Whichever method works for your writing style, in that location's a style to cheque word count in Google Docs.

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