How to View Word Counts of All WordPress Posts (2026)

WordPress shows the word count of one post at a time in the editor, but what if you want to view word counts of all WordPress posts at once? In 2014 we needed exactly that to find thin posts on our Panda-hit site, and a simple plugin did the job. Here’s that method, a plugin-free code snippet, and how to use word counts sensibly in 2026.

Quick answer: Install a plugin like Post Admin Word Count to add a sortable Words column to Posts > All Posts, or add a short code snippet that does the same. Sort by word count to find your shortest posts, then decide whether each one needs expanding, merging or removing. Google says it has no preferred word count, so focus on usefulness, not length.

Our 2014 method: a word count column

We used the Post Admin Word Count plugin (external site), which adds a column with the word count of each post in the WordPress admin. The real power is sorting: click the column to list posts from fewest to most words.

The plugin is still available, but it hasn’t been updated recently, so test it on a staging site or use the snippet below.

Add a word count column without a plugin

Add this to the Code Snippets plugin or your child theme’s functions.php:

// Add a Words column to the All Posts screen
add_filter( 'manage_posts_columns', function ( $cols ) {
    $cols['qot_words'] = 'Words';
    return $cols;
} );
add_action( 'manage_posts_custom_column', function ( $col, $post_id ) {
    if ( 'qot_words' === $col ) {
        $text = wp_strip_all_tags( get_post_field( 'post_content', $post_id ) );
        echo number_format_i18n( str_word_count( $text ) );
    }
}, 10, 2 );

This column isn’t sortable because word counts aren’t stored in the database. For sorting on large sites, a plugin that saves the count as post meta works better.

Other ways to see word counts

• Block editor: open Document Overview (the list icon at the top) and choose the Outline tab to see characters, words and reading time.
• SEO plugins: Rank Math and Yoast show content length in their analysis for each post.
• Site crawlers: tools like Screaming Frog report word count for every URL in a spreadsheet.

Why find low word count posts?

Short posts are often quick news items, video embeds or image posts. Some are fine as they are, but many are outdated or thin. A content audit that starts with the shortest posts helps you decide what to update, merge into a stronger article, redirect or delete.

Is low word count the same as thin content?

No. Google’s guide to creating helpful content (external site) says plainly that it doesn’t have a preferred word count. A short post that fully answers a question can rank well, while a long, padded one can be thin. Use word counts to find candidates, then judge each post by how useful it is.

FAQ

How do I see the word count of a WordPress post?

In the block editor, open Document Overview (the list icon in the top toolbar) and select Outline to see words, characters and reading time.

What is a good word count for a blog post?

There’s no fixed number. Write enough to answer the topic completely and stop there.

Can I export word counts of all posts?

Yes, use a site crawler or a plugin that exports post data to CSV.