How to Check Word Count Before Submitting a Freelance Writing Article

TL;DR: Missing a word count target is one of the most common reasons freelance articles get sent back for revision. Before you hit send, paste your draft into a dedicated word counter, verify you meet the client's spec, then adjust — not the other way around.

Table of contents

• Why word count matters for freelance submissions
• Common word count requirements by content type
• Step-by-step: checking word count before you submit
• What to do when you are over or under the target
• Common mistakes to avoid
• FAQ
• Quick checklist

Why word count matters for freelance submissions

Clients set word count requirements for practical reasons: editorial templates, ad placements, print page layouts, and SEO content briefs all depend on predictable length. When you submit 900 words against a 1,200-word brief, the editor either has to pad the article themselves — which they resent — or return it to you for a revision round that eats into everyone's time.

From the SEO side, Google has repeatedly shown that thin content (well below the competitive benchmark for a topic) tends to rank lower, so many content agencies specify minimums tied directly to the top-ranking competitor average. Submitting under-count is not just an editorial issue; it can affect the client's rankings.

Word count also signals professionalism. Hitting the brief precisely (within a 3–5% tolerance) tells the client that you read the brief carefully and respect the production workflow. It is a small detail that separates reliable freelancers from those who cut corners.

Common word count requirements by content type

Always check the actual brief. These are industry averages — individual clients often have house standards that differ.

Step-by-step: checking word count before you submit

1. Finish the draft completely first

Do not count mid-draft. Counting while writing encourages padding or cutting ideas prematurely. Write the full argument, then measure.

2. Copy the full document

Select all text in your writing app (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), then copy. Include every section: title, subheadings, body paragraphs, and any callout boxes. Exclude elements that will not appear in the final published piece, such as editor notes written in brackets.

3. Paste into a dedicated word counter

Open the Word Counter tool at JustTextTool and paste your draft. You will see an instant breakdown of:

• Word count — the primary metric for most briefs
• Character count — useful for meta descriptions, Twitter/X posts, and ad copy
• Sentence count — a quick readability proxy

A browser-based counter is more reliable than your writing app's built-in count because different apps handle hyphenated words, numbers, and special characters differently. Using a neutral counter removes the ambiguity.

4. Compare against the brief

Note the client's specified range. If they said "1,000–1,200 words," aim for 1,050–1,150. Hitting the exact lower bound or exactly the upper bound looks mechanical; landing in the middle looks natural.

5. Adjust — do not pad

If you are short, identify which section deserves more depth. Add a concrete example, an additional FAQ entry, or a data point from your research. Padding (repeating the same idea with slightly different words) degrades quality and experienced editors spot it immediately.

If you are over, use the Whitespace Cleaner to first remove invisible double-spaces and extraneous line breaks — those can artificially inflate the character appearance in some editors. Then cut the weakest paragraph, tighten wordy sentences, and remove transitional filler phrases.

6. Run a final count and save a record

After adjustments, paste the revised draft and note the final count. Keep a local record (e.g., a simple spreadsheet row: article title, client, due date, required range, submitted count). This protects you if a dispute arises later.

What to do when you are over or under the target

When you are 5–10% over:

• Cut the weakest supporting point entirely (a paragraph, not a sentence).
• Reduce examples from three to two where the third adds little new information.
• Trim adverbs and redundant qualifiers ("very important" → "important").

When you are 5–10% under:

• Expand your FAQ section by one or two questions that readers genuinely ask.
• Add a real-world scenario or a brief case study.
• Include a short "common mistakes" sub-section if one does not exist.

When you are more than 10% off target:

• Re-read the brief. You may have missed a required section or misunderstood the scope.
• Contact the client before submission rather than guessing. A quick note ("My draft is running 800 words — should I expand the background section or is the current depth fine?") demonstrates initiative.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Counting with your writing app only. Editors often paste into a different system; word count can shift by 2–5%.
• Including editor notes in the count. Strip out [comments in brackets] or track-changes insertions before measuring.
• Confusing word count with character count. Some clients — especially for social media or ad copy — specify characters, not words. Check the unit in the brief.
• Submitting at the absolute minimum. "Minimum 1,000 words" means 1,000 is acceptable, not ideal. Aim for the midpoint of any stated range.
• Ignoring the title and subheadings. Most editorial briefs count these as part of the deliverable. Confirm with the client if it is ambiguous.

FAQ

Q: Does Google Docs count words the same way as other tools?
A: Usually close, but Google Docs includes footnotes and comments in its count by default. Always use a plain-text counter on the body text only to get the clean count.

Q: Should I count the title and H2 headings?
A: Yes, unless the brief explicitly excludes them. In most cases, published headings are editorial content and count toward the deliverable.

Q: My client gave a character count, not a word count. What do I do?
A: Use the same Word Counter tool — it shows both character count (with and without spaces) and word count simultaneously so you can monitor both at once.

Q: What is a safe tolerance for hitting the target?
A: ±5% is generally acceptable across most editorial contexts. If the brief says 1,000 words, anything between 950 and 1,050 is fine. Communicate if you need to go beyond that.

Q: Can I charge for a word count that exceeds the brief?
A: Only if agreed in advance. Most freelance contracts specify the target range; going over without authorization does not entitle you to additional payment. Always confirm scope changes before expanding.

Quick checklist

• Draft is complete — no placeholder sections remaining
• Editor notes and bracketed comments have been removed
• Full text copied (title + headings + body)
• Pasted into Word Counter and count verified
• Word count falls within the client's specified range (±5%)
• If over: weakest section trimmed, Whitespace Cleaner run
• If under: FAQ or example section expanded with genuine content
• Final count saved in your project log
• Brief double-checked for character count requirements

More tools for your writing workflow

Once your word count is confirmed, you may also find these tools useful before submission:

• Case Converter — fix title case, sentence case, or all-caps headings copied from a brief template.
• Whitespace Cleaner — remove double spaces and invisible characters that editors will notice even if you do not.
• Remove Duplicate Lines — clean up any repeated bullet points from research notes pasted into your draft.
• Slug Generator — if you are also responsible for the URL, generate a clean, SEO-friendly slug from your article title in one click.

Visit the full tool list to see everything available, or browse the blog for more practical writing workflows.