Quick Answer
Why does the word count differ from Microsoft Word? Minor differences of 1–5 words are normal due to different handling of hyphenated words and special characters. Both counts are valid by different conventions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hyphenated compounds (e.g., "state-of-the-art") are counted as one word, consistent with standard word processing software conventions.
Sentences are counted at period, exclamation mark, and question mark boundaries. Abbreviations like "Dr." and "e.g." may slightly affect the count.
The tool handles up to 500,000 characters (about 80,000 words) without performance issues — sufficient for full-length books.
Yes — the tool counts words in any language that uses spaces as word separators, including French, Spanish, German, and others. Right-to-left languages are also supported.
Selective counting is not currently supported — the tool counts all text in the editor. For selective counting, paste only the sections you want to analyze.
Reading time is calculated at 200 words per minute (average adult) and 250 words per minute (fast reader). Toggle between reading speeds by clicking the reading time display.