You’ve probably noticed that Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and online word counters sometimes give different word counts for the exact same text. This isn’t a bug—it’s because different tools use different rules to define what counts as a “word.” Understanding these differences helps you know which count to trust and avoid surprises when submitting assignments.

This guide explains the technical reasons behind word count variations and provides practical guidance for handling discrepancies.

The Core Problem: What Is a “Word”?

There’s no universal standard for what constitutes a word. Different word processors and tools make different decisions about:

• Hyphenated compounds (is “state-of-the-art” one word or four?)
• Contractions (is “don’t” one word or two?)
• Numbers and dates (is “2025” a word? What about “30,000”?)
• URLs and email addresses (how many words in “https://example.com”?)
• Legal citations (is “§123.23(A)(1)” one word or five?)
• Whitespace handling (multiple spaces, hidden characters)

These decisions vary between tools, leading to different counts for identical text.

How Major Tools Count Differently

Let’s examine how popular tools handle common counting questions:

Microsoft Word

Hyphenated words: Counts as one word

• “self-esteem” = 1 word
• “state-of-the-art” = 1 word

Contractions: Counts as one word

• “don’t” = 1 word
• “they’re” = 1 word

Numbers: Counts as words

• “2024” = 1 word
• “100,000” = 1 word

Special behavior:

• Em dashes without spaces (word—word) may be counted as one word
• Smart quotes and special characters can affect counts

Google Docs

Hyphenated words: Counts as one word

• “self-esteem” = 1 word

Contractions: Counts as one word

• “don’t” = 1 word

Numbers: Counts as words

• “2024” = 1 word

Special behavior:

• Generally similar to Word but may differ with special characters
• Handles URLs differently in some cases

Turnitin

Important for students: Turnitin often shows different word counts than Word or Google Docs.

Why Turnitin differs:

• Strips formatting before counting
• May handle headers, footers, and citations differently
• Processes PDFs and converted documents differently than native formats
• Has its own algorithm optimized for plagiarism detection, not word processing

Many students have been surprised when their carefully counted 2,500-word essay shows as 2,400 or 2,600 words in Turnitin.

Online Word Counters

Different websites use different algorithms:

Common variations:

• Some count hyphenated words as multiple words
• Some count numbers only if they contain letters
• URL handling varies widely
• Whitespace handling differs (double spaces, tabs, line breaks)

Comparison Test: Same Text, Different Counts

Here’s an example showing how the same text might count differently:

Sample text: “The well-known professor, Dr. Smith, published 25 peer-reviewed articles in 2023-2024. Don’t underestimate the state-of-the-art methodology at https://example.com.”

Possible counts by tool:

The same document can show a 5-15% difference across tools. The differences come from:

• “well-known”: 1 or 2 words?
• “2023-2024”: 1 or 2 words?
• “state-of-the-art”: 1 or 4 words?
• “https://example.com”: 1 word, 2 words, or more?
• “Dr.”: 1 word or part of “Smith”?

Why This Matters

Academic Assignments

The problem: You carefully write to a 2,000-word limit in Word, but when your instructor checks in their system, it shows 1,950 or 2,080 words.

The solution:

• Ask which tool/method your instructor uses for the official count
• Leave a small buffer (±5%) when possible
• Submit in the requested format (some systems count PDFs differently than .docx)

Publishing Requirements

The problem: A publication requires “exactly 5,000 words” but your Word count differs from their submission system.

The solution:

• Ask the publication which tool determines the official count
• When in doubt, use the platform’s own counter if available
• Verify by pasting into their submission system early

Content Writing

The problem: A client requests a 1,000-word article but disputes your word count.

The solution:

• Agree on a counting method upfront
• Use a shared tool or platform both parties can access
• Include the word count in your delivery using an agreed-upon tool

Technical Details: How Word Counting Works

The Basic Algorithm

Most word counters use a simple approach:

1. Split text by whitespace (spaces, tabs, line breaks)
2. Count the resulting pieces
3. Apply tool-specific rules for edge cases

Where Complexity Arises

Whitespace handling:

• Multiple consecutive spaces: One separator or multiple?
• Non-breaking spaces: Same as regular spaces?
• Tab characters: Word separators?

Punctuation attached to words:

• “word.” vs “word .” (with space before period)
• Quotation marks: “word” vs " word "
• Parentheses: (word) vs ( word )

Special characters:

• Em dashes (—) vs hyphens (-)
• Curly quotes vs straight quotes
• Bullet points and list markers

Unicode considerations:

• Different languages have different word boundaries
• Some scripts don’t use spaces between words
• Emoji and special symbols

Which Count Should You Trust?

For Academic Work

Trust this order:

1. The submission platform’s count (Turnitin, Canvas, etc.)
2. The format your instructor specifies
3. Microsoft Word or Google Docs as fallbacks

Best practice: Paste your final text into the submission system before the deadline to verify the count matches expectations.

For Professional Writing

Trust this order:

1. The client’s preferred counting method
2. The publishing platform’s count
3. Standard word processor (Word or Docs)

Best practice: Establish the counting method in your contract or agreement.

For Personal Use

Use whatever tool is most convenient, but be consistent. The absolute number matters less than tracking your progress over time with the same tool.

Tips for Managing Word Count Discrepancies

Build in a buffer: If your target is 2,000 words, aim for 1,950-2,050 in your word processor. This accommodates most counting variations.

Check multiple sources: For critical submissions, verify your count using 2-3 different tools to understand the range.

Format early: Convert to the final submission format (PDF, platform paste, etc.) well before the deadline and check the count there.

Document your method: When word count matters contractually, specify “as counted by Microsoft Word” or similar in your agreement.

Avoid edge cases: When very close to a limit, minimize hyphenated compounds and contractions that might count differently across tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Turnitin count differ from Word?

Turnitin processes documents differently, stripping formatting and handling citations its own way. The algorithm is optimized for plagiarism detection rather than accurate word counting. Always check your submission in Turnitin before the deadline.

Do headers and footers count?

In Word: No, by default (unless you select “Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes”) In Google Docs: No, headers and footers are separate In Turnitin: Varies based on document format

Should I count my bibliography in the word count?

This depends entirely on your instructor’s or publication’s guidelines. When unspecified, ask—assumptions can lead to over or under the limit.

Why does copying to a different program change my count?

The paste process may add or remove hidden characters, change whitespace, or introduce formatting that affects counting.

Do emojis count as words?

Usually no—most counters don’t count standalone emojis as words. However, an emoji attached to text (no space) might be included with the adjacent word.

How do footnotes affect word count?

Microsoft Word has an option to include or exclude footnotes. Google Docs includes footnotes by default. Check your tool’s settings and your assignment requirements.

Key Takeaways

• The same document can show 5-15% difference across different word counting tools
• Hyphenated words like “state-of-the-art” may count as 1 or 4 words depending on the tool
• Contractions like “don’t” typically count as 1 word in most tools
• Numbers and legal citations are counted differently across platforms
• Microsoft Word and Google Docs usually give similar results but can differ by 1-3%
• Always verify your count in the final submission platform before the deadline
• Build in a buffer of ±5% when possible to accommodate counting variations

Conclusion

Word count discrepancies aren’t errors—they’re the result of different tools making different decisions about ambiguous cases. For academic work, the submission platform’s count is the one that matters. For professional writing, establish the counting method upfront. And for general writing, pick a consistent tool and stick with it. Understanding why these differences exist helps you navigate word count requirements with confidence. Try our free letter counter → to add another verification tool to your workflow.