How to count the words in a DOCX file
- Drop your file on Drop a .docx file here or click to choose, or press Enter on that box to browse.
- Read Words, Characters (with spaces), Paragraphs and Reading time, plus the smaller figures underneath.
- Tick Include footnotes, endnotes and text boxes in the counts if your limit covers them. The line under the numbers always shows how many words each part holds.
How the count is worked out
A .docx file is a ZIP package of XML parts (structure of a WordprocessingML document). The tool opens the package, reads the main text, the footnotes part, the endnotes part and any text boxes, and joins each paragraph's text. Headers, footers and comments are never counted, and neither are field codes or the numbers Word draws for lists. Tracked changes are treated as accepted, so deleted text is left out and inserted text is counted.
Words are runs of characters between spaces, tabs and line breaks, so "well-known" and "18%" are one word each. Each Chinese or Japanese character counts as one word. Characters count what you see, with or without spaces. Reading time is words divided by 238, the average silent reading speed for adults reading English non-fiction (Brysbaert, 2019).
Worked example with the built-in sample
With nothing chosen, the tool shows a sample that has four paragraphs, one footnote and one text box. Words reads 51 (main text only), Characters (with spaces) reads 299, Paragraphs reads 4 and Reading time reads 13 sec, which is 51 divided by 238 minutes. The line under the numbers reads "Main text: 51 words. Footnotes and endnotes: 6 words. Text boxes: 3 words." Tick the box and Words becomes 60, because 51 + 6 + 3 = 60.
Limits and edge cases
- Only .docx is read. An old .doc file, or a .docx protected with a password, shows a message. Open it in Word, choose Save As, and pick Word Document (.docx).
- The count can differ a little from Word's own, which is shown under the numbers when the file records it. Word's setting Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes changes its figure, and this page has the same switch.
- Sentences are an estimate, because abbreviations and quotation marks make sentence ends hard to tell.
- Text inside pictures, charts and SmartArt is not text in the file, so it is not counted. For plain pasted text use the Word Counter, and for a longer reading estimate try the Reading Time Estimator. To turn the file into a web page, use DOCX to HTML.
DOCX word count questions
How do I count words in a Word document without opening Word?
Drop the .docx file on this page. The words, characters, paragraphs and reading time appear at once, and the file stays in your browser.
Why is my count different from the number Word shows?
Word can include or leave out text boxes, footnotes and endnotes, and this page has the same switch. Tracked changes matter too, because this tool counts the text as if every change were accepted. Words are split only at spaces, tabs and line breaks, so a hyphenated word counts as one.
Does the word count include headers, footers and footnotes?
Headers and footers are never counted. Footnotes, endnotes and text boxes are counted only when you tick Include footnotes, endnotes and text boxes in the counts.
Can I count the words in an old .doc file?
Not directly. Open the file in Word, choose Save As, pick Word Document (.docx), and drop the new file here.
How is the reading time worked out?
It is the word count divided by 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed of adults reading English non-fiction found by Brysbaert in 2019. Slower or technical text takes longer.
Sources: Microsoft, Show word count; ECMA-376 Office Open XML; Brysbaert (2019), Journal of Memory and Language 109.