Word count

[2cef17d1]

Hello all!  I'm new to the Upwork platform and am trying to get my fingers ready to start writing. This may be a dumb question but I haven't been able to find the answer in my search. Does the word count, for example, 1000-1200 word count for an article mean words only or also grammar? I use Grammarly and it counts commas, periods, etc., but also gives me word count only. Can someone provide me with the answer? (No judging please-lol).

[elisa_b]

Considering that in the vast majority of cases there should be no spaces between a punctuation sign and the previous word, whether you count only words or words+punctuation the result should be the same.

Unless, of course, for instance you write a comma with a space before and after it. In that case it would be counted as a word, but there is an error behind that.

[wlyonsatl]

How to count elements in a writing project should first be clearly defined in your contract with the client.

Then use whatever app will provide the count you have agreed to.

[ailcua]

word not characters

[roberty1y]

You could ask the client in each case what they mean by word count, but the default assumption would be that it's words only.

[the-right-writer]

I have not seen any job requiring characters. However, that doesn't mean there isn't one out there. The standard is the word count. If a client wanted the character count, they should put that in their job ad.

No judgment on Grammarly. However, be aware that all automated programs make mistakes, so go over the document after Grammarly.

[renata101]

Hi Heather,

I'm not not making fun of your question, but it did cause me to consider what a lot of the web copy I encounter might look like if content creators got to charge extra for punctuation. 😂

Though I have seen the occasional client post an editing request with a character count, word counts are what I encourage people to use.

[mrhassan16]

Before starting any writing job, you must ask the client about it because it varies from client to client

[emily_jordan]

Hi! I've done several word count/article projects and went off of just words. But that's a great question to ask the client! It shows you are paying attention. 

[c700beac]

Hello all! I'm new to the Upwork platform and am trying to get my fingers ready to start writing.