Google Docs has a word count built in: click Tools, then Word count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C (⌘+Shift+C on a Mac). It shows pages, words, characters and characters without spaces. For a sentence count, the time it takes to read or the phrases you repeat, paste the same text into the counter above.
Where the word count is in Google Docs
- 1Open the document and click Tools, then Word count. The box lists pages, words, characters and characters without spaces.
- 2To count one section, select it first. With nothing selected, the count covers everything except headers, footers and footnotes.
- 3Tick "Display word count while typing" for a running count.
When to paste it here instead
Docs stops at four numbers. The counter above adds a sentence count, the minutes the text takes to read and the phrases you use most, so you can see what to cut when a piece runs over its word limit. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.
This word counter is free with no signup. SearchBlueprint, who make it, sell SEO planning for websites: which searches each page should answer.