Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 17, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Word keeps track of quite a bit of summary information for your documents. One of the pieces of information maintained is the number of characters in your document, and another is the number of words. This information is updated whenever the document is saved or printed. Word allows you to insert this summary information into your document by following these steps:
Figure 1. The Field dialog box.
By combining these two fields, you can easily calculate the average word length. To do this, follow these steps:
{={NumChars}/{NumWords}}
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (387) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Word and Character Count Information.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
Who saved the document the last time? Word keeps track of that information, and you can insert the person's name into the ...
Discover MoreThe most common way of adding symbols to a document is to use the Symbol dialog box. There is another way, however, that ...
Discover MoreOne of the properties you can specify for a document is a subject. You can then use a field code to insert this subject, ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments