This is because Pages (unlike Microsoft Word and LibreOffice) counts the words used in charts, graphs, text boxes, headers, and footers. Out of all the writing platforms we will be walking you through today, Pages consistently shows users the highest word count. This language processing tool is the alternative to Microsoft Word and, thus, behaves differently. If you have an Apple device, you have likely used Pages before. Let this be your reminder that, no matter how advanced computers are, they still don’t behave like us and will tolerate all kinds of nonsense! The Algorithm for Pages Combinations of characters and numbers are counted as words, if they are between spaces: So, LibreOffice will tell you that “Cat123 $1.34 * ” is actually four words because they are all between spaces-whereas you and I would agree that example has no words, just random numbers and characters.But in the second example, the space is there instead of the hyphen, which tells LibreOffice it must be two words. That is because in the first example there is a hyphen separating the two strings of letters. Hyphenated words only count as one word: We can gather that, according to LibreOffice, “fast-paced” counts as one word, while “fast paced” counts as two.Every string of letters between two spaces is considered a word: This means “and / or” are three words, but “and/or” is only one word. Let’s break down the formula LibreOffice uses to tell you how many words are in your document: Thus, if you understand Microsoft Word’s counting feature, you understand LibreOffice’s as well! It works very similarly to its Microsoft counterpart, which is to say it follows an algorithm that is practically identical to that of Microsoft Word. LibreOffice might not be as widely used as Word, but it is still an especially useful tool for content writers and their clients. However, you can change the settings so that the algorithm starts counting these if you want. Plus, the curiosities don’t end there! Microsoft Word typically counts fewer words than other writing platforms because it not include headers, footers, and the words in text boxes into its count. However, if you guide yourself by Microsoft Word’s algorithm, the first sequence is only one word (because there are no spaces there) and the second is three words (because it counts everything between spaces as a word, even the slash symbol). For example, “12345” is a word according to Microsoft Word!Īnother example of how this algorithm works is looking at these two sequences: “and/or” and “and / or.” You and I might say each sequence counts as two words. It could simply be a long string of numbers or symbols. That is to say, a word doesn’t necessarily have to contain letters. Its programmers taught it to consider any string of “things” between two spaces a word. Microsoft Word might be the most popular writing platform out there. The Algorithm for the Microsoft Word Count Feature To better understand how and why word counts differ between programs, let’s look at the science behind this commonly used feature (hint: it’s easier than it sounds). And because all the platforms we use have been made by different companies (Microsoft, Apple, Google, and so on), no two formulas are the same. That is just a fancy way of saying a programmer fed the platform a formula for counting words. When these platforms are designed, they have word count algorithms programmed into them. Have you ever noticed a slight difference between the word count in one program and another? If you have, hats off to you! You weren’t just “seeing things”-there is actually a difference between how writing platforms count words. Keep reading! How Do the Most Common Programs Count Words It is a little complicated, but we have broken it down for you so that it’s easy to understand. “But why does that happen?” I hear you ask. For instance, Google Docs and Microsoft Office will give you two different word counts-even though the text being processed is the same! Thus, they are not entirely reliable. That is because different writing platforms have different ways of calculating the word count of a file. Sounds like not that big of a deal? Well, you could be paying more than you should for your articles. So, if you rely on only one writing platform, you could be misled by the word count feature. The count sets the rate for an entire project and its price. Counting characters, words, and lines is extremely important in the field of content writing for both the writer and the client.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |