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 does not include headers, footers, and the words in text boxes in its count. However, if you guide yourself by Microsoft Word’s algorithm, the first sequence is only one word (because there are no spaces), 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. A word doesn’t necessarily have to contain letters. Its programmers taught it to consider any string of “things” between two spaces of 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 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 word-counting program and another? If you have, hats off to you! You weren’t just “seeing things”-there is a difference between how writing platforms count words.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |