How to set an exact word count
Updated
In the Essay format you set “Word count” anywhere from 150 to 4,000 words (800 by default), and HidenGPT plans the essay to that length. A draft more than 10% short or 20% long goes through an automatic fix. Blog post, Anything, Fiction and Memoir take an exact target through “Enter a word count”.
Steps
- 01Pick “Essay” under “Use it for” (in “More” if it isn't shown).
- 02Click “Word count” and type the number, or use the minus and plus buttons to move it in steps of 50. A number outside 150-4,000 is pulled back into range.
- 03Click “Write it”. If the length is far off, “Fixing” appears after “Checking the rules”.
- 04Read “Rule check” under the draft. If the count is still off, it shows the actual number.
- 05To trim or extend, tap “Shorter” or “Longer” under “Refine”, or click “Revise” and type the change, such as “cut to 1,000 words”.
How the Essay format hits the number
The target goes to the model as words and as sentences and paragraphs: for 1,000 words, about 50 sentences in 9 paragraphs. From 600 words the essay is outlined first. From 1,500 words the body gets section headings, and from 1,800 words each section is written on its own.
After writing, the body is counted without the reference list. Under 90% or over 120% of the target, up to two fix passes try to bring it back. Between 110% and 120%, you get a warning with the actual count.
Exact counts in other formats
Under “Length”, choose “Enter a word count” and a “Word count” control appears. Blog post takes 300-4,000 words (1,000 by default), Anything 50-4,000 (500), and Fiction and Memoir 100-4,000 (1,000). The same check applies: more than 10% short or 20% long gets a fix pass.
In Anything with “Length” on “Auto”, a count in your request works too. Write “1,000 words”, or a range such as “500-600 words”, and the midpoint becomes the target.
Presets
Blog post offers about 700, 1,300 or 2,200 words, Fiction 800, 1,800 or 3,500, and Memoir 600, 1,200 or 2,500. Presets are looser: you get a warning when a draft is more than 40% off, and a fix pass only below half or above one and a half times the preset. Anything's Short, Medium and Long presets aren't checked.
What it doesn't do
- The count lands near the target, not on the exact word. A draft within 10% of an essay target passes without a note.
- 4,000 words is the most any of these formats takes in one draft.
- After a revision, the length check only warns; it doesn't pull the draft back to the target.
Questions
Does the reference list count toward the word count?
No. The essay check counts the body and leaves the reference list out.
Can I set a word count for homework answers?
No. In “Answer questions” mode each answer is as long as it needs to be, and the word count is ignored.