Word Count FAQ
How word counting works, what counts as a word, and how to interpret the numbers our tools show.
Word counting looks trivial until you compare two tools and get two different numbers. The disagreements come from tokenization — the rules a counter uses to decide where one word ends and the next begins. Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Word Count Tool all split on whitespace, which means "3 apples" is two words and "well-known" is one. LaTeX counters, CMS character limits, and most plagiarism checkers use different rules and will disagree with all three.
The answers below cover the conventions our tools follow, the cases where counters legitimately differ, and the numbers editors and publishers actually expect. Where a question has a deeper treatment, the permalink under each answer goes to the full write-up.
Are numbers counted as words?
Yes. By the convention used by Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and most academic word counters, every whitespace-separated token counts as one word, regardless of whether it's letters or digits.
"There were 3 apples on the table" counts as seven words. Mixed tokens like "iPhone 15" count as two; "3D" counts as one.
If you're writing under a strict word limit and want a digit-free count, our word frequency counter can show you which tokens are letters vs numerals.
How many pages is 1000 words?
The answer depends on font, size, and spacing. For the most common configuration — 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, on US Letter paper:
- Single-spaced: about 2 pages
- 1.5 spacing: about 3 pages
- Double-spaced: about 4 pages
Use our words to pages converter for any combination of font, size, and spacing.
Read the deep-dive: How many pages is 1000 words?
Do hyphenated words count as one word or two?
By the most common convention, a hyphenated compound counts as one word. "Well-known", "self-aware", and "twenty-one" each count as one.
The rationale: a hyphen joins two morphemes into a single lexical unit. Microsoft Word and most academic word counters follow this rule. A few specialised counters (e.g. some legal-document tools) count each hyphenated component separately.
Do contractions count as one word?
Yes. "Don't", "she's", "we'd" each count as one word. The apostrophe-bound contraction is treated as a single token by every major word counter, just like Microsoft Word does.
Note that "do not" (uncontracted) counts as two. So contracting your prose can lower your word count even though the meaning is unchanged — useful when you're trimming to a limit.
How do I count words in Google Docs?
In Google Docs: Tools → Word count, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on Mac). The dialog shows pages, words, characters with spaces, and characters without spaces.
Tick "Display word count while typing" inside that dialog to see a live count in the bottom-left of the editor.
Read the full walkthrough: Where to find word count in Google Docs.
How many words should a novel be?
For traditional publishing, debut adult novels target 80,000–100,000 words. Genre fiction varies: romance 70–90k, fantasy and sci-fi 90–130k, thrillers 70–90k. YA targets 50–80k, middle grade 30–50k.
Outside the expected range, query letters get harder treatment — too short reads as undercooked, too long as unedited. See our word counts of famous novels for benchmarks against published work.
What counts as a word?
By the convention used by Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and our Word Counter, every whitespace-separated token counts as one word. Specifically:
- Numbers count: "There were 3 apples" = 4 words.
- Hyphenated compounds count as one: "well-known" = 1 word.
- Contractions count as one: "don't" = 1 word.
- URLs and emails count as one each.
- Punctuation never counts as a word.