How words are counted
A word is any run of letters or numbers between spaces or punctuation, so “don’t”, “e-mail” and “2026” each count as one word. That matches how Microsoft Word and Google Docs count, so the totals agree for ordinary text. Small differences can appear with dashes, URLs, and symbols, which different programs treat differently.
Word count in Word and Google Docs
In Microsoft Word the count is in the status bar at the bottom of the window; click it for characters and paragraphs. In Google Docs, choose Tools → Word count (Ctrl+Shift+C, or ⌘+Shift+C on a Mac) and tick “Display word count while typing”. This page gives the same numbers without opening a document, which is handy for text in an email, a web form, or a CMS.
How long is that?
Reading time assumes 238 words per minute and speaking time 130 words per minute. As a rough guide, a page of double-spaced text holds about 250 to 300 words, and a single-spaced page about 500. Need limits for essays and social posts? See the guide to word and character limits.