★ The Bohuainter blog

Guides on counting, formatting and length

Practical answers about word counts, page counts and character limits, written for people who would rather be writing than searching for a menu item.

Apple Pages hides the running total in the footer. Here is where to find it and how to keep it on screen while you write.

Three ways to open the word count panel in Google Docs, plus the setting that keeps it visible in the corner.

Excel has no word count button. One short formula gives you the total for a cell, a column or a whole sheet.

Genres differ more than most guides admit. Here are real ranges for debut and established novels by category.

The status bar shows it, the Review tab explains it, and the selection trick counts just one section.

Google measures pixels, not characters. Here is how to write a title that survives the crop on desktop and mobile.

Tools mentioned

Count it yourself

Every guide below points at a tool. These are the ones people open most.