Whether you’re writing a scholastic essay, or authoring an enormous white page document for a client, Apple Pages is one of the best tools for the job. The word processing program is available forMacs, iPhones, and iPads, and is packed with features, formatting options, customizable templates, and so much more. You’ll also have the ability to monitor your word count when writing, which is particularly convenient for those of us with specific words-per-page goals.

Difficulty

What You Need

Mac, iPhone, or iPad

Apple Pages

Fortunately, finding and using the word count tool in Apple Pages is an easy process. We’ve put together this guide to give you a step-by-step reference. Be sure to read to the end to learn about a couple of other Apple Page capabilities.

Pages word count on Mac

To see the word count and other document statistics, open your document in Pages on Mac.

Step 1:Do one of the following to display the word count:

Step 2:You’ll then see the word count displayed at the bottom of your document.

Use theArrowson the right side of the word count to see the character count with or without spaces, the page count, or the paragraph count.

Once you choose the statistic you want to see, it remains at the bottom of the document. This helps you keep track of your selected count as you progress through the document.

Step 3:To hide the word count again, selectViewin theToolbarorMenu barand pickHide word count.

Note: If you’re viewing a different statistic at the time, you’ll see that in the View menu instead. For example, you may see Hide Character Count or Hide Paragraph Count.

Pages word count on iPhone

You might be taking your work on the go and need to see the word count in Pages on your iPhone. This is just as easy.

Step 1:Open the Pages document and tap theThree dotson the top right.

Step 2:Turn on the toggle forWord count.

Step 3:Like on Mac, you can select the word count that displays at the bottom of the document to see the other statistics.

Step 4:To hide the counts, return to theThree dotsmenu and turn off the toggle forWord count.

If you turn on the word count for a Pages document on iPhone, the count will display for any other Pages document you open until you turn off the toggle.

Pages word count on iPad

Maybe you’re an iPad user who want to see the Pages word count on that device. No problem!

Step 1:Open the Pages document and tap theViewicon on the top left.

Step 3:Select theWord countat the bottom of the page to see the additional counts.

Step 4:To hide the counts again, reopen theViewmenu and turn off the toggle forWord count.

Just like on iPhone, if you turn on the word count for a Pages document on iPad, you’ll see the count for other Pages documents you open.

How to add page numbers in Apple Pages

When you add page numbers to an Apple Pages doc, your total page count is automatically adjusted as you add and remove content. The easiest way to do so is by inserting page numbers into either the header or footer of your document. Initially invisible, once you hover over the header or footer box, you’ll be able to click the left, center, or right-aligned header/footer box. Then, just clickInsert Page Number.

You’re not restricted to only adding page numbers in the header and footer fields. If you’d like to add this value to another part of your doc, simply choose the insertion point in your doc. Then, click thePagesicon in the toolbar, then clickPage Number.

How to view formatting symbols in Apple Pages

Believe it or not, whenever you hit the Space Bar, Tab key, or press Return, Apple Pages (and other word processing programs) add an invisible formatting symbol between words, and at the start and end of new paragraphs, sections, columns, etc.

Normally hidden, if you’d like to see the formatting history of your Apple Pages doc, all you need to do is clickView>Show Invisibles. To hide them again, clickView>Hide invisibles.

Now that you know how to get the word count in Apple Pages, take a look at some otherwriting apps for iPad.