How to Check Word Count in Notion: Explained in 2025

Discover the essential steps to check word count in Notion. This guide helps you navigate the features of Notion to enhance your writing productivity.

Mar 18, 2025
Tracking word count is essential for various writing tasks, ensuring content meets specific requirements and maintains clarity. Whether you're:
  • Writing a blog post: Stay within optimal lengths for SEO and reader engagement.
  • Crafting an essay or report: Meet academic or professional guidelines.
  • Managing social media content: Adhere to platform character limits.
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Summary
To get a word count of a page in Notion, open the page, click the three-dot icon (•••) in the top-right corner, and scroll down to end of the dropdown to find the word count.
To create a word count tracker property in a database, create a Formula property type and copy-paste the following formula.
if(length(prop("Content")) > 0, length(replaceAll(prop("Content"), "[^ ]", "")) + 1, 0)

Step-by-Step: How to Check Word Count in Notion

  1. Open Your Notion Workspace: Start by opening Notion and navigating to the workspace where your desired page is located.
  1. Go to the Specific Page: Click on the page for which you want to check the word count. Ensure all your content is present and organized as you wish.
  1. Locate the Three-Dot Menu: In the top-right corner of the page, you'll see a three-dot icon (•••). This is the page’s menu. Click on it to access more options.
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  1. Access the Word Count: After clicking the three-dot menu, a dropdown will appear. Scroll down to the bottom of this menu. Here, you'll find the "Word count" section displaying the total number of words on the page.
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  1. Understand What’s Counted: The word count includes all text within the page, including headers, body text, and content inside toggles or databases. However, it doesn’t provide a count for specific sections or selected text.
  1. Regularly Monitor Your Word Count: Keeping an eye on your word count can help maintain the desired length for your documents, whether for academic, professional, or personal projects.
Note that Notion does not provide any keyboard shortcut to view word count.
 
 
 
 
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Creating a Notion Word Count Tracker (as a Database)

Here is a step-by-step guide if you require a word count tracker in a database
  1. Create a Notion Database
    1. Open Notion and navigate to the workspace where you want to add the tracker.
    2. Click on Add a new page and choose the Table view to create a new database.
  1. Set Up the Content Property
    1. In the newly created table, make sure your content is in one of the properties. For example, Content.
    2. Ensure this column is set to the Text/Title property type where you’ll input your writing entries.
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  1. Add a Word Count Property
    1. Add a new column by clicking the + button next to your last column.
    2. Name this column Word Count and set its property type to Formula.
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  1. Insert the Word Count Formula
    1. Click on the Word Count column to open the formula editor.
    2. Enter the following formula to calculate the number of words in the Content column:
      1. if(length(prop("Content")) > 0, length(replaceAll(prop("Content"), "[^ ]", "")) + 1, 0)
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    3. This formula works by counting the number of spaces in the Content text property and adding one to estimate the total word count.
  1. Automate Word Counting
    1. Once the formula is applied, Notion will automatically display the word count for each entry in the Word Count column.
    2. As you add or update content in the Content column, the word count will update in real-time.
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Limitations and Workarounds for Word Count in Notion

Notion's word count feature, while helpful, has several limitations:
  • Cannot Check Highlighted Text: Notion does not support word counting for selected or highlighted text. You can only view the total word count for the entire page.
  • Cannot Check Word Count of A Section: To monitor specific sections, you may need to manually track word counts. This involves regularly checking the overall word count and estimating changes as you edit content.
Workarounds
  • Database Formulas: Leverage Notion's database formulas to create custom word count properties for specific sections within a database. For example, use a formula to count words in a text property.
  • External Integrations: Integrate Notion with tools like Zapier or Make to automate word count tracking for particular content segments.
  • Using Third-Party Tools for Specific Counts: For word counts of particular sections, third-party tools like WordCounter can be utilized. Simply copy and paste the desired text into these tools to obtain accurate counts.

Best Practices When Using Word Count in Notion

Set Word Limits for Projects
Establishing clear word limits helps structure your writing, ensuring you cover all necessary points without overextending. Use Notion to set these targets for different sections of your project, keeping your content organized and focused.
Use Word Count for SEO Purposes
Optimal word count plays a crucial role in SEO. Research suggests that longer content tends to rank better in search engines. Utilize Notion’s word count feature to meet SEO-friendly lengths, enhancing your content’s visibility and ranking potential.
Emphasize Concise Writing
Concise writing improves readability and keeps your audience engaged. By monitoring word count in Notion, you can eliminate redundant phrases and ensure each sentence adds value. This not only makes your content more digestible but also strengthens your message.
Monitor Progress and Maintain Consistency
Regularly tracking word count allows you to stay on target and maintain a steady writing pace. Use Notion’s word count to set daily or weekly goals, helping you achieve consistent progress and meet deadlines efficiently.
Enhance Editing and Refinement
Knowing your word count aids in the editing process. It helps identify sections that may need expansion or reduction, ensuring your final draft is well-balanced and comprehensive. Leverage Notion’s tracking to refine your content meticulously.

FAQs

How to check the word count of highlighted text in Notion?
Notion does not provide a word count for highlighted text; it only shows the total word count for the entire page.
Does Notion have a word count feature?
Yes, you can find the word count by clicking the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the Notion page.
Can I check the character count in Notion?
Yes, you can find the character count by creating a database with a formula that counts characters in a text property.
Is there a way to toggle word count display in Notion?
The word count feature cannot be toggled on or off; it is accessible via the three-dot menu.
How to count words in a specific section of text?
Notion does not provide a built-in way to count words in a selected text section; you may need to copy it to an external tool.
Why might the word count differ from other tools?
Differences may arise from how Notion and other tools count formatting, spaces, and special characters.
How can I track word count for a database property?
You can create a text property in a database and use a formula to calculate the word count of that property.
What formulas can be used for counting words in Notion?
Use the formula: `if(length(prop("Name")) > 0, length(replaceAll(prop("Name"), "[^ ]", "")) + 1, 0)` to count words.
Are there third-party tools to count words in Notion?
Yes, you can use third-party tools like Wordcounter.net to check word counts for specific text sections.
Does Notion include hidden text in its word count?
Yes, Notion's word count includes words from collapsed toggles and other hidden content types.
 
 
 
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