Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Word Count is Zero.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 1, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you use the Word Count feature of Word, you may be shocked some time to find out that the Word Count dialog box shows you have 0 words in your document—even when you can see them on the screen!
If this happens to you, it simply means that you have selected an object in your document (such as a picture or drawing object) before issuing the Word Count command. To get a correct word count, simply place the insertion point somewhere within the text of your document and reissue the command. The Word Count feature should display the expected number of words in your document.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (881) 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 Count is Zero.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
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