Word Count Blog

An experienced word count user may already have noticed that there can be slight and even substantial differences in word count results produced by different word count engines. Surprised? Let’s find out what is the reason for that.

Currently there are no rules or system defining what instruments or scheme should be used for word count and different word count tools use their own schemes for word count. And the most important question here is what to count. Well, words, obviously, but it appears that different programs include different meanings in this single object.

Microsoft Word Statistics, the most common unspecific word counting instrument, considers everything between two spaces a word, be it a number or a symbol. On the other hand, Word doesn’t include in its word count statistics the text in text boxes or shapes, that may sometimes happen to add a significant number of words to your word count.

The specific word count tools are more accurate here. Usually, a user can define whether to count numbers or not and whether to include the text from additional objects to the word count statistics. The best word count tools are usually armed with word count opportunities in footers, headers, notes, footnotes, end notes, text boxes, shapes,  text in embedded and linked documents, comments and hidden text. Also they can provide the word count in a large number of file formats. For example, AnyCount counts text in 36 file formats!

It is also said that because of these differences the word count produced by specific word count tools usually scores more words/units than word count in Microsoft Word. But I guess I’d like to find that out myself and do some research on the matter. So just look forward to it!

It may appear that your profession is not word counter. Not really? Then I guess you can be misled by some of the word count-related terms.  So I place here several basic ones:

Word count itself
‘The word count is the number of words in a document or passage of text”, says Wikipedia. I wouldn’t dare to argue, but would add that word count is often used instead of text count.

Text count
Text count, to follow Wiki’s scheme, is a number of  words, lines, characters (with or without spaces), pages or other defined units in a text.

Word
Yes. Although it may seem ridiculous, we often can’t define what actually a word for the counting engine is. For example, for Word processor a word is everything between two spaces, including numbers. Smarter word count tools can make the difference between the words and other symbols, allowing a word to be a word in its offline meaning.

Word limit
Is often used by editors to define the length of the desired text.

Source word count

As translators are usually charged per source word, a source word count is needed to know the number of words in the source text. If a translator can’t count words in a source text (i.e. hard copies), the payment is set by the target word count.

Target word count -

the number of words in a translated document.

Hope it wasn’t too many terms for 1 post. But I’m still wondering about all the “footers, headers, notes, footnotes, end notes, text boxes, shapes, embedded and linked documents, comments and hidden text”. Are you?

It’s nice not to be limited in word count and write whatever you are up to just as you do on your personal blog or in your diary. But what if your absolutely perfect article doesn’t meet the word count limit set up by the editor? It seems that you have it all linked together, but your editor won’t buy it.  So there is what you can do here

1. Make sure all the information is essential

If you have several points of view, find out if they are all equally important.

2. Join the sentences

Try joining sentences you think could be joined.

3. Cut the introduction

It is not the most important thing you have to say, is it?

4. Get rid of the scenery

Don’t be overly descriptive. When your heroine is “breathtakingly beautiful”, ideas “unbelievably outstanding” and the sky is “sparkling-blue”… Well, there is a risk your word count would be “absolutely and roughly violating the word count limit”

5. Consider the quotes

Although your speakers are worth quoting, maybe there is a chance to say it all in a couple of words without loosing the idea.

6. Use graphics

See if there are some points you can SHOW in stead of explaining.

7. Make sure your word count is accurate

Check your word count units (words, lines or characters, etc). If you have many text boxes or embedded documents, you may need the word count tool to make sure you meet the limit.

And if you already are a successful text-count-cutter, please share your own tips.

Word count: 254