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How to count the words in copied text with a hotkey

Create a KeyRoutines routine with a Hotkey trigger, Get clipboard for text, Replace text to turn line breaks into spaces, Split text at spaces, Count list items, and Show banner with the count.

Steps

  1. 1

    Add a Hotkey trigger

    Pick a chord such as Ctrl+Alt+W.

  2. 2

    Read the copied text

    Add Get clipboard set to text.

  3. 3

    Tidy the spacing

    Add Replace text with the pattern option on, finding \s+ and replacing it with one space.

  4. 4

    Split and count

    Add Split text at a space, then Count list items on its parts.

  5. 5

    Show it

    Add Show banner with the count and "words".

Tips

  • Split text drops empty parts by default, so double spaces don't add words.
  • Add a Calculate step dividing the count by 150 for a rough speaking time for a video script.

Questions

Does it count characters too?
Split text into characters and count those for a character count.
Is my text stored anywhere?
No. Run history shows only the length of clipboard text, never the words.

Blocks this routine uses

Trigger · HotkeysFree

Hotkey

Hotkey starts a routine when you press a keyboard shortcut or mouse button. It's the most common way to run a routine, from a single app launcher key to a whole streaming setup on one combination.

Step · ClipboardFree

Get clipboard

Get clipboard reads what is on the clipboard so later steps can use it. Choose text, copied files, or an image, which is saved as a PNG file you name.

Step · Data and variablesFree

Replace text

Replace text finds every occurrence of something in a text and swaps it for something else, or removes it. It works on clipboard text, file contents and step results alike.

Step · Data and variablesFree

Split text

Split text breaks one piece of text into a list. Split at commas, at line breaks or into characters, then loop over the parts or pick one out.

Step · Data and variablesFree

Count list items

Count list items tells you how long a list is and whether it's empty. It's the quick check before a loop, or the number you show at the end.

Step · NotificationsFree

Show banner

Show banner puts a large text message on screen for a set time. Unlike a Windows notification, it still shows when a borderless full-screen app is in front, and it never takes the mouse or keyboard.

More how-to guides

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