Google Docs Word Count as if Suggestions Were Accepted (Tutorial)

As someone who uses Google Docs frequently for editing writing, an annoying problem I've faced is that Google Docs word count is broken when dealing with suggested edits.

The Problem

Let's say you write 10 words like so:

Then you go into Suggestion mode and delete 3 words:

Now we check the word count by going Tools > Word Count or pressing Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C. You might expect (or hope) to see 7 words as the word count.

But the Google Docs word count ignores our suggested edits, and there's no way to see the word count as if suggestions were applied.

Instead, Google Docs only shows the original 10 words, ignoring suggested insertions and deletions—treating suggestions as normal text.

This problem is frustrating, especially if your are trimming down text to meet a word count. Maybe you're a student trying to trim down an essay, a teacher giving feedback to help cut down words, or you're doing copy editing for an article.

Here's the solution to accurately count words in Google Docs, as if suggestions were applied.

How to Count Words in Google Docs with Suggestions Accepted

Luckily, Google Docs has a hidden feature that lets us preview documents as if suggestions were accepted.

Go to Tools > Review suggested edits

You'll see a popup open. From there, click the dropdown and you can choose:

• Preview "Accept all" (to see the doc as if suggestions were accepted)
• Or, Preview "Reject all" (to see the doc without any suggestions)

After previewing, you can use the Tools > Word Count feature just like normal, but now with accurate word counts!

I hope this helps if you stumbled across this challenge like I did.

Google Docs' little known feature makes it an easy fix, but not everyone knows about it.