Guide

Do Hyphenated Words Count as One or Two?

The short answer is that most word counters, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs, count a hyphenated compound like “well-known” as one word. Some institutions and publishers count each part separately, so check your rules.

Updated

Short answer: Hyphenated words usually count as one word, because there is no space between the parts. A few style guides and portals count each part, so check the instructions of whoever sets the limit.
Do Hyphenated Words Count as One or Two?: How hyphens, en dashes and em dashes affect word counts. (WordCounter.pk cover graphic)
Do Hyphenated Words Count as One or Two? on WordCounter.pk: The short answer is that most word counters, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs, count a hyphenated compound like “well-known” as one word. Some institutions and…

Hyphens versus dashes

MarkExampleTypical count
Hyphen (-)well-known, mother-in-law1 word in Word, Docs and this counter
En dash (–) with spacespages 5 – 10The dash is a separate token in Word; not counted here
En dash without spaces5–101 token in Word
Em dash (—) without spacesword—word1 word in Word; 2 in Google Docs and here
Em dash with spacesword — word2 words; the dash counts in Word only

The em dash is where programs disagree most, because writers often use it without surrounding spaces. If your document is heavy with unspaced em dashes, the total can differ noticeably between programs.

What this counter does

By default a hyphen joins the letters on either side, so “mother-in-law” counts as one word. Tick Hyphen = 2 words in the toolbar of the Word Counter to count each part separately; in that mode “mother-in-law” counts as three. Both modes work on every counter on the site that uses the main engine.

Which rule should you follow?

Follow whoever sets the limit. A university that uses Microsoft Word as its standard will count hyphenated words as one. Translation agencies sometimes count by source-language rules, and some publishers count a hyphenated compound as multiple words to avoid underquoting. If you are paid by the word, agree on the method in writing. For everyday essays the difference is a handful of words and rarely matters.

How other tokens count is covered in What Counts as One Word. Numbers with separators, such as 1,250 or 3.14, are covered in Do Numbers Count as Words?. The general algorithm is explained in How Word Count Is Calculated.

Try it yourself

Put the numbers above to work with these free tools:

Word CounterThe main free word counter for English, Urdu and Roman Urdu.Find and ReplaceFind and replace words or patterns, with regex and case options.

Frequently asked questions

Does Microsoft Word count hyphenated words as one?

Yes.

Does Google Docs?

Yes for hyphens. Em dashes are treated differently.

Do compound words like “ice-cream” count once?

Yes by default.

Can I count each part separately?

Yes, tick the hyphen option in the toolbar.