Keeping an eye on your word count is a breeze in Notion regardless of your purpose for doing so. This nifty feature ensures that your content is within the desired limits to maintain readability.
So let us dive into this quick and easy guide to check word count in Notion.
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How to Check Word Count in Notion
Checking the word count in Notion is pretty simple — that is if you only want to count the number of words on the entire page.
1. Select the 3-dot icon
You’ll find this icon on the upper right corner of the Notion page you opened. A dropdown menu then opens.
This is the button to click when you change the font and font size in Notion or when you export the Notion page as a PDF.
2. Scroll down until you find the “Word Count” section
This option is the last information after the “Connections” section of the dropdown menu. There you’ll see the total number of words in the entire Notion page you opened.
Take note that this word count includes all the text it can detect, whether they’re titles or text inside databases.
But if you prefer to count the number of words inside database properties or a bullet, there are alternative methods you can use.
How to Check Word Count Within Databases in Notion
Currently, there is no built-in option in Notion to check the word count in specific paragraphs, bullets, or database properties.
This can be a bummer, especially if you need those sections to be within certain word count limits.
But not to worry, there are two workaround methods to check the word count of the text inside a database property.
Workaround #1: Create a Word Counter Property
Though quite technical, creating a word counter property in a database is another way to count the number of words in database properties.
Make sure that you add text and formula properties within the database. You can even duplicate a Notion database and edit the property types used.
Granting that you already have created a database and added the text in the “Text” property you made, follow these steps:
1. Click the “+” button and select “Formula.”
You’ll find the “+” button on the top right of the database you created. Then on the search bar, type “Formula” and select the “Formula” option that appears.
2. Rename the “Formula” property you created.
Simply type the new name of the “Formula” property you added for counting the number of words in the “Text” property.
For sample purposes, I used “Number of words.”
3. Click “Formula.”
This will allow you to edit (meaning add) a formula to that property.
4. Type the formula for the word counter property in the “Formula” field.
This is the formula you’ll use: “if(length(prop(“Name of Property”)) > 0, length(replaceAll(prop(“Name of Property”), “[^]”, “”)) + 1, 0)”
Note: Only include the formula in bold. Don’t include quotation marks before and after the formula.
This formula is a combination of the “if” and “replace all” formulae, allowing for tracking of spaces in the actual text. One space detected is equal to 1 word.
Hence, you mustn’t add a space after the last word of the text as this will ultimately be counted as one word.
5. Select “Done.”
This button will only be clickable if you have entered the correct formula in the “Formula” field.
By now, you should see the number of words from the “Text” property it was referenced from in the “Word Counter” property.
You can recheck the word count using a third-party word counter tool.
6. Create a “Character Count” property.
This step is optional, but also useful especially if there is a specific character count needed for your writing assignment.
Creating the “Character Count” property is like making the “Word Counter” property, except for the formula you’ll use.
This is the “Character Count” formula: “length(“Name of Property”)”
Then select “Done.” You should now see the number of characters in the “Character Count” property. Do a recheck of this in a word counter tool as a recheck.
Workaround #2: Use of Third-Party Word Counter Tools
The easiest way to check the word count of text within databases is to use third-party word counter tools like wordcounter.net.
Just copy the text inside the database and then paste it into the third-party word counter. The number of words and characters then appear on top and below the “Text” field.
The best part about this workaround is that you can also use this in counting the number of words in bullets and specific paragraphs of an article.
However, it can be tiring to manually copy and paste individual text into a word counter tool. If you prefer to do the word counting within Notion, leverage the use of formulas.
Conclusion
Mastering how to check word count in Notion elevates your content creation game. No matter your profession, this simple tool maintains conciseness and precision in your work.
Learn to harness this nifty feature in Notion for more polished and impactful writing.