Word count of a Word document (.docx)
Drop a .docx file to see its words part by part: main text, headings, tables, text boxes, captions, footnotes, endnotes, headers and footers. The count Word saved in the file is shown next to it.
Drop a Word file here
Word (.docx, .doc), Pages, PDF, ODT, RTF, TXT, Markdown or HTML, up to 50 MB each and 100 at a time. Read on this device; never uploaded.
- Choose or drop a file.
- Switch off the parts you do not want.
- Read the count, the sections and the pages.
Words counted
0
Drop a file or paste text to start.
- Characters
- 0
- Without spaces
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 s
- Speaking time
- 0 s
- Pages (estimate)
- 0.0
- Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced, US Letter
Page settings
1-inch margins. Reading at 238 and speaking at 183 words per minute. How pages are estimated
What is inside a .docx file
| Part of the zip | What it holds | Here |
|---|---|---|
word/document.xml | Main text, headings, tables, text boxes, captions | Counted |
word/footnotes.xml, word/endnotes.xml | Footnotes and endnotes | Left out (switch) |
word/header1.xml, word/footer1.xml … | Headers and footers, once each | Left out (switch) |
word/styles.xml | Which paragraphs are headings and captions | Read, not counted |
docProps/app.xml | Words and pages Word saved | Shown beside the count |
word/comments.xml, word/media/ | Comments, images | Not opened |
The parts are set out in the Office Open XML standard, ECMA-376. Only the text parts are unzipped; a file full of photos opens as fast as a plain one.
How is a .docx file read without Word?
A .docx file is a zip archive of XML parts, set out in the Office Open XML standard (ECMA-376): the main text is one part, footnotes another, endnotes another, and every header and footer has its own. The page unzips only those text parts in your browser, leaving images and fonts untouched, and reads them one by one. That is why each part can be counted on its own.
What does the count Word saved in the file mean?
When Word saves a document it writes a word count and a page count into the file’s properties. This page shows that figure next to its own. They often differ: the saved figure follows Word’s rules and is only as recent as the last save, and some programs that write .docx files never update it. The parts list shows which parts account for the difference.
Are deleted words and comments counted?
No. With Track Changes on, deleted text stays in the file until the change is accepted; it is never counted here. Comments are kept in a separate part and are not counted. Field codes, the hidden instructions behind citations from Zotero or Mendeley, a table of contents or a page number, are not counted either; what the field shows on the page is.
How are headings found in a Word file?
From the paragraph styles. Word stores style names in English (heading 1, heading 2, Title, Caption) even when the program runs in another language, and a custom style built on a heading style counts as a heading of the same level. A paragraph given an outline level directly is a heading too. Headings feed the table of words by section.
Questions about Word file word counts
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is opened by your browser with the File API and read on your device: Word and OpenDocument files are unzipped in the page, PDFs are read by PDF.js running in the page. Nothing is sent to a server, stored or put in the address bar, so closing the tab clears it. You can check this by opening a file with your network switched off.
Can I count a .doc file?
Yes. Word binary (.doc) files are read directly in your browser. The file structure is read without sending it to a server, and the main text, footnotes, endnotes, headers and text boxes are split into their own parts with their own switches.
Are text boxes counted twice?
No. Word stores most text boxes twice, a modern copy and a fallback copy for older programs. Only the modern copy is read, and the text box words are listed as their own part, switched on from the start.
Does it work with password-protected files?
No. A file protected with a password to open is encrypted, and the page cannot read it without the password. Open it, save a copy without the password, and drop the copy.
What about Google Docs and Pages?
Apple Pages (.pages) files can be dropped directly: the counter reads them in your browser. For Google Docs, download as Microsoft Word (.docx) from the File menu and drop the download.
Does it count words in tables?
Yes, as their own part, switched on from the start. Each cell is a paragraph, so a table of numbers adds its figures as words, the same way a word processor counts them. Switch Tables off to leave them out.
More ways to count
- Document word countDrop DOCX, PDF, ODT or text files: counts by part, section and page.
- Essay word counterLeave out references, notes and citations, and track your word limit.
- PDF word countWords per page, without running headers, page numbers or split words.
- Words to pagesPages from a word count or a file, by font, size and spacing.
- How we countWhat a word is, which parts count, and why tools disagree.
Sources and limits of the count
- ECMA-376, Office Open XML File Formats
ECMA-376, Office Open XML file formats, the standard behind .docx, including Part 2, Open Packaging Conventions: the zip package that holds the parts of a document.
Ecma International. Opened on .
- Word count
The Word Count dialog on the Review tab shows more detail and has the option to include text boxes and footnotes in the total.
Microsoft Support. Opened on .
- See word count & page count in Google Docs
“Unless you select a section of the document, word count applies to everything except headers, footers, and footnotes.”
Google Docs Editors Help. Opened on .
- How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate
Average adult rates in English: 238 words per minute for silent reading of non-fiction, 260 for fiction, 183 for reading aloud.
Brysbaert (2019), Journal of Memory and Language 109. Cited reference: we could not open the page on the day of our check, so it is listed as the published reference.
Word processors and course rules count some parts differently, so treat the total as a check and your course handbook or publisher as the rule. Files are read on your device: nothing you drop or paste is uploaded.