Phrase depend serves as one strategy to measure the size of a doc. For instance, {many professional} advertising or product papers are between 2,500 and 6,000 phrases. Weblog put up lengths fluctuate but usually find yourself someplace between 400 and 1,700 phrases. Workshop descriptions and speaker biographies for conferences usually are not more than 100 phrases.
To make sure your content material meets the size necessities for a selected process or mission, it’s a good suggestion to repeatedly verify the phrase depend in your doc. On this information, we’ll cowl how you can acquire the dwell phrase depend for a whole Google Docs doc, a specific part of textual content in your browser, or the Google Docs apps for Android and iOS utilizing built-in phrase counters. You’ll additionally be taught what content material is included within the whole phrase depend.
The right way to verify phrase depend in Google Docs
Google Docs can show the phrase depend in a browser and the Google Doc apps for Android and iOS. To view the phrase depend, observe the steps listed beneath.
SEE: Google Docs and Microsoft Phrase provide comparable however completely different capabilities.
Test Google Docs phrase depend on a laptop computer or desktop
- Open your Google Doc in Google Chrome.
- Choose Instruments.
- Choose Phrase Depend.
Alternatively, press Ctrl+Shift+C or, on an Apple machine, Command+Shift+C.
In Chrome on the net, the system gives the choice to show the phrase depend whereas typing, which locations a present phrase depend within the lower-left part of the browser window.
Test Google Docs phrase depend on Android
- Open your Google Doc within the Google Docs app.
- Faucet the three-dot menu within the higher proper nook.
- Faucet Phrase depend.
Test Google Docs phrase depend on iOS or iPadOS
- Open your Google Doc within the Google Docs app.
- Faucet the three-dot menu within the higher proper nook.
- Faucet Phrase depend.
The right way to get the phrase depend for chosen textual content in a Google Doc
You even have the choice to verify the phrase depend for a portion of your doc. To do that, choose some textual content inside your Google Doc, after which entry the phrase depend by following the above steps. The system will present the phrase depend in your choice and the phrase depend totals for the Google Doc.
What’s included and excluded within the phrase depend?
Google Docs can show the:
- Phrase depend.
- Total character depend, together with the variety of letters, symbols, numbers, and areas.
- Character depend, excluding areas.
A desktop-class browser additionally shows the variety of pages in your Google Doc.
Nonetheless, Google Docs phrase depend excludes content material in headers, footers and footnotes. It doesn’t depend symbols, such because the “<” or “>” indicators, as phrases, though it does depend em dashes.
SEE: Our hands-on expertise with Google Gemini confirmed each the advantages and limitations of the generative AI.
Google Docs phrase depend contains some phrases present in lengthy hyperlinks (i.e., URLs). For instance, if you choose this hyperlink to a TechRepublic article, https://www.techrepublic.com/article/google-docs-vs-microsoft-word/, the system counts the hyperlink as 5 phrases.
When you have a doc with quite a few lengthy hyperlinks displayed in full, bear in mind the system’s present phrase depend is perhaps increased than a guide phrase depend would point out.
Studying estimates based mostly on phrase depend
In the event you verify a doc’s phrase depend, you’ll be able to estimate studying time. A common estimating rule is to imagine a mean grownup will learn roughly 250 phrases per minute, so a regular 1,000-word doc, for instance, would possibly take about 4 minutes to learn.
SEE: You too can get the phrase depend of particular phrases in Microsoft Phrase.
Studying velocity might fluctuate based mostly on the content material kind. It usually takes longer to learn complicated, technical textual content crammed with unfamiliar phrases than to a regular, easy letter. Primarily based in your viewers and the content material kind you’re working with, you would possibly modify your estimate. 200 phrases per minute is an effective estimate for tough content material or much less skilled readers, and 300 phrases per minute is a logical guess for simple content material and proficient readers.
Megan Crouse up to date this text in January 2025.