Guide · thesis and SEO
How to count characters and words correctly for a thesis or for search engine optimisation
Counting characters and words sounds simple, but in practice the figures can vary from one program to another. This guide goes through what characters and words actually are, how to count them correctly and why the character limits for a thesis and for search engine optimisation are worth taking seriously.
Character or word — what's the difference?
A character means a single letter, number, punctuation mark or space. A word, on the other hand, is a unit bounded by spaces. This distinction matters, because some instructions are given in characters (for example the maximum length of an abstract) and some in words (for example the length of an essay). When you know which measure you're using, you avoid needless mistakes at submission.
A practical example: the sentence "The study went well." contains four words, but 20 characters including spaces. If the instruction is given in characters, tracking the word count isn't enough — and vice versa. The character counter shows both figures at the same time, so you don't have to guess.
Characters with spaces or without?
In theses, and especially in translation work, you often come across the concept of characters without spaces. It means the character count once word spaces are left out. Many guidelines state the limit in exactly this way, because it describes the amount of actual text more evenly. If you're not sure which figure is expected of you, ask your supervisor — and then use the character counter without spaces, which shows both options.
Tip: an abstract's character limit is often stated as "at most 2,000 characters including spaces". Read carefully whether spaces are included in the limit or not — the difference can be hundreds of characters.
Why do the figures vary between programs?
The same text can show a different character count in Word, in the browser and in a word processor. The most common reasons are:
- Line breaks and hidden characters: some programs count them, some don't.
- Headers, footers and footnotes: these may be included in the figure or left out.
- Selected text vs. the whole document: check which one the figure was counted from.
If you want a comparable result, always count the same text with the same tool. Read a more detailed comparison in the Word character counter guide, which explains where the difference between Word and an online counter comes from.
Character count in search engine optimisation
In search engine optimisation the character count has a role all its own. A page's title appears in search results only up to a certain length, after which it is cut off. The same applies to the meta description. If you write a blog alongside your thesis or maintain a website, the same counting skills help improve visibility too. You'll find precise recommendations in the guide Google SEO title and description character limits.
Counting correctly — in brief
- Work out whether the limit is given in characters or words.
- If in characters, check whether spaces are included in the limit.
- Paste the text into the character counter and read the right figure.
- Use the same tool throughout the project so the figures stay comparable.
- Leave a little room below the limit so the final edits still fit.
Remember: a submission system may count characters slightly differently from your own program. So leave a margin of a few per cent, and don't write right up to the limit.
Bachelor's, master's or doctoral thesis?
Different theses have very different lengths, so it makes sense to relate the tracking of characters and words to the type of work. A bachelor's thesis is typically clearly shorter than a master's thesis, and a doctoral thesis is considerably longer than either. The exact requirements vary by subject and institution, so the final guidance is always in your own department's written instructions. What they all share, however, is an abstract, which often has a strict character limit. When you check the abstract's length right from the writing stage, you avoid a situation where the finished text has to be trimmed in a hurry just before submission. Paste the abstract into the character counter and track the character count as you polish the text.
Word count and translation pricing
Word count matters not only to students. In the translation industry, work is often priced by words or characters, so accurate counting directly affects the price. When you know a text's word count, you can estimate the cost of a translation with a simple multiplication: word count times the per-word rate. The same applies to language editing and proofreading, which are often charged per thousand characters.
If you're the client, it's worth asking for a quote using the same measure you count the text by. That way you avoid surprises in the invoicing. Paste the source text into the character counter, look at both words and characters, and use the figure you've agreed on. If a translation company bills by characters without spaces, open the character counter without spaces and use the figure it gives as the basis for your budget.
Example: if a text is 1,500 words and the per-word rate is a certain amount, the total price is simply the word count times the rate. When the counter gives you the word count in a second, estimating the budget is quick.
Summary
Counting characters and words is easy once you know which measure you're using and why the figures can vary. Tell characters and words apart, check the role of spaces, and consistently use the same counter. That way a thesis abstract stays within its limits, search-optimised texts appear in full in search results, and a translation budget is easy to estimate in advance.