Being able to keep track of your word count as you work is very important for students, writers, journalists, and researchers alike. However, locating the tool that will give you the word count of your document (or a specific portion of the text) can be tough if you are not familiar with the ins-and-outs of the word processing app you are using.
In this guide, we will show you how to find your word count in Word Online and, as an added bonus, we will also share how to use an online character counter so you can keep track of your progress while working on other apps.
How to Find Your Word Count in Word Online
Word Online is the online version of the renowned Microsoft Word application that you can use for free to draft content. The online version of Microsoft Word is basic in format but it still offers all the most important tools you might need for editing and composing just about any type of document. This platform is perfect for drafting letters, resumes, research papers, journalistic articles, blogs and so much more.
After completing the document, you can store it on OneDrive, share it with others, or download it to your device.
Most people find the word count pretty easy to track in Word Online since there are two ways to view it. Here is a quick look at how to get your word count using the online app, Word Online.
Bottom Left Corner
The easiest way to check your word count is by glancing at the bottom right corner of your monitor. On the left side, you will note a bar that displays your current page “Page 1 of 5”, and right next to it there will be an indication of the total amount of words shown on the document.
This indicator will give you a good idea of your total word count but you can also check the word count of a selected portion of text. To do this, simply highlight the area you want to count. Now glance back at the bottom left corner of the screen. The display should now show the number of words you have selected. It should look something like this: “32 of 71 words”.
Review Tab
If you can’t see the bottom tab then your current settings might be hiding this feature. But there is another easy way to check your word count. At the top of your screen, you will note several tabs which include: File, Home, Insert, Layout, Reference, Review, View, and Help.
Click on the “Review” tab. The icons below this tab should now change to list something like the following options: Editor, Word Count, Check Accessibility, Translate, New Comment, and others.
Click on the “Word Count” tab. A new window should now open up that gives you several stats. The stats will include the number of words selected, total words on the document, characters selected, total characters on the document, and paragraphs selected. You will also note other features like reading time, speaking time, readability score, and editor score in this section.
On this small window, you will instantly be able to view how many words your document contains. By selecting a certain paragraph before going to the word count document stats window, you will also also be able to track the number of words a specific section of your document contains.
How to Find Your Word Count With Other Word Processing Apps
In order to access all the features that Word Online has to offer, you will need to register for the full 360 package. Since many users don’t want to do this, they might seek out other online writing apps like Google Docs. Some of these alternative word processing apps are more convenient than Word Online, and others are more challenging to use.
A common issue with many alternative apps is that they might not make your document status or character counter tools quite as apparent as Word Online.
If you have a tough time finding the word count in your app then the easiest way to locate your word count is by using the Voxtury online text editing tool.
This handy editing tool offers a variety of features, such as a duplicate word finder, text case converter, text editor, a percentage calculator, and – of course – a character counter.
How to Use an Online Character Counter
Online character counters, like the Voxtury online text editor, make it very easy for you to track your word count for all sorts of documents. It is especially useful for social media platforms like Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook. This is because Voxtury doesn’t just give you the number of characters or words you type, it also allows you to set the maximum word length for certain documents. This makes it possible to write content that only contains short words that might be more appropriate for a specific, target audience.
This is great for platforms like Twitter where you are only allowed to add 280 characters per tweet and want to use the most attractive words for your audience. The same goes for Facebook, since only a certain number of characters are visible at a glance for Facebook posts.
One of the best things about using this type of editing app is its simplicity. Here is a quick look at how to get your word count with an online character counter:
Step 1
First, you need to type the draft directly into the online tool. If you are using another word processing application then you can also copy the text you would like to count and paste it into the online character counter tool.
Step 2
Once pasted, take a glance at the bottom of the screen. There, you will see a line with different document stats. You should be able to view the number of characters, characters without spaces, words, sentences, letters, symbols, numerals, headings, paragraphs, and spaces at a glance.
Step 3
While you are viewing your character count, you can also make some other edits to your text. The app allows you to do all sorts of edits, such as the following:
- Change the text case
- Insert headers or adjust the header sizes
- Include bold, italic, or underline features
- Add hyperlinks
- Insert numbers
- Insert bullet points
- Find duplicate words
- Set the minimum word length
Step 4
Once you are satisfied with your word count and edits, you can simply copy the content from the app and paste it back into your word processing platform or post it on social media sites.
What Is the Character Limit for Platforms or Documents
The character limit for online platforms can differ across document type and social media apps. You might run into several restrictions when creating different types of written content. As time goes on, the general character limits might also change to accommodate people and businesses better.
If you want to ensure that the length of your content is always spot on, then you should keep the following general guidelines in mind.
Social Media Platforms
Not all social media platforms have a character limit. Some do cut off lengthy content while others will only show a small portion of the text before readers will have to click the “read more” button. Here is a quick look at the general social media character limits.
Facebook Character Limits
Facebook has different character count limits for writing on your wall, your status, messaging, and commenting. If you understand your character limits, it becomes much easier for you to create adequate content for your company or marketing campaign. Here is the breakdown of the word limit for different messaging tools on Facebook:
- Private messaging – Anything from a single word or emoji to up to 20,000 characters.
- Facebook Status – You can also add anywhere from a single dot to up to 63,206 characters on your social media post.
- Facebook Notes – Currently, there is no word limit which means you can make a very long post.
- Facebook Username – The character limit for account usernames is 50.
- Facebook Account Summary – For business accounts, you can write up to 255 words to summarize your business.
Blogspot Character Limits
Blogspot and other blogs are ideal for writing and posting longer pieces of content. Blogspot does however have quite a few character limitations, like the following:
- Blog description – Up to 500 characters.
- About me – In this section, you can add up to 1,200 characters.
- Interests and favorites – In this section, you can add up to 2,000 words per area.
- Blog posts – Blog posts are unlimited but most do keep their blogs around 500 to 3000 words long.
Twitter Character Limit
Twitter is best known for its sweet but short messages. This platform is one of the most restrictive social media sites with the following limitations:
- Tweet – Tweets can only contain up to 280 characters.
- Twitter direct messages – DM’s are usually a maximum of 10,000 characters long but you can send as many as you like.
- Twitter handle – 15 characters.
- Twitter profile name – A maximum of 50 characters.
- Bio – You can write a short bio of up to 160 letters.
Instagram Character Limit
Instagram is probably the most restrictive social media platform in terms of text. This site is designed for photo or video sharing and only allows you to add a couple of short words per image. Here is a quick look at this platform’s character limitation:
- Headline – 40 characters.
- Body or post text – 125 letters.
- Link descriptions – 30 characters maximum.
Pinterest Character Limit
Since Pinterest has become such a popular marketing platform in the past decade, it is probably a good idea to also discuss its character limitations. Here is a quick look at the limitations for content types on this platform:
- Profile name – 30 Characters maximum.
- Bio – A maximum of 160 characters.
- Board name – 50 characters per board.
- Board description – Up to 500 characters per board.
- Pin title – Up to 100 characters.
- Pin description – Up to 500 characters per pin.
YouTube Character Limit
YouTube is also one of the best marketing tools if you want to create video content for your products or services. Here is a quick look at the character limitations that YouTubers deal with.
- Video title – 100 characters maximum.
- YouTube description – 5,000 letters maximum.
- Playlist title – Up to 150 characters.
- YouTube tags – Up to 500 characters.
Documents or Other Written Content
The maximum word count for documents can differ across countries and for different document and content types. Here’s a quick look at common word limit writing conventions for most document and content categories:
- Sentences – Usually contain 15 – 20 words on average.
- Paragraphs – An average of 200 words but they can be as short as a single sentence and often include no more than 3 sentences.
- Chapter – The typical length for chapters is anywhere from 1,500 – 5,000 words for guides or books.
- Blogs – Blogs typically range from 300 – to 5,500 words
- Books – The average book length differs quite a bit based on age and book type. For adult fiction books, novels are usually 50,000 – 110,000 words, flash fiction stories are 300 – 1,500 words, short stories are 1500 – 30,000 words, novellas are 30,000 – 50,000 words, and young adult books are 50,000 – 90,000 words.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to use an online character counter, you can easily keep track of all of your work no matter what platform or app you might be using. And if you want to learn other great tips and tricks to help enhance your online writing experience then you should have a look at some of the other guides on Voxtury blog.
With this online letter counter, anyone can work with ease to create create next-level content every time.
