How to Count Lines, Words, and More in Linux

by Karley Harris
8 minutes read

How to Count Lines, Words, and More in Linux

Linux Count Pitches Words Size Included

Situating the digit of lines, words, personalities, and auxiliary in a file is largely straightforward on Linux. Most, if not with one voice, Linux distros come via upreared-in commands to brandish the assorted estates in a file. The wc command in Linux comes in handy whether you yearn to locate the dimension of a file or count how multiple words or lines are in it. Let’s exquisiteness at how you can count lines and words in Linux.

Web content
  • Count Pitches in a File
  • Count Words in a File
  • Count Personalities in a File
  • Count Bytes in a File
  • Purge Pitches, Words, and Bytes in a File
  • Detect the Size of the Lengthiest Pitch in a File
  • Purge wc Command Options
  • Linux Incurable and Leading Commands

Nice to realize: Xeroxing and pasting a hefty amount on Linux? Here’s how to replicate and paste message, documents, and folders in Linux terminal.

Count Pitches in a File

As a Linux command pitch up tool, wc can print most estates of the file you enumerate. To preserve things humble, open the catalog in which your file is positioned and run away a terminal window by right-clicking and bringing up the singular solutions.

Implement the functioning with via command to brandish the digit of lines in a file called “motif.txt”:

wc -l theme.txt

Chit: Readjust “motif.txt” via the particular file in your shuck.

Linux Count Pitches

The output will distinctly divulge you the digit of lines in the file coordinated via by the moniker of the file.

Pointer: Pine to supercharge your Linux distro? Here are 101 of the ideal software schedule for your Linux tools.

Count Words in a File

If you yearn to realize the digit of words in a file having an compose-up or a paper run-wearing, sprinted the wc command via the -w flag. Totally execute the functioning with via command in a terminal window:

wc -w theme.txt
Linux Count Words

Again, the format of the output lingers the same; you can evaluate the word count of the file coordinated via by its moniker.

Count Personalities in a File

To count the digit of personalities in a file, you can utilise the -m flag. This will distinctly not merely count with one voice the alphabets, digits, and symbols in the file but correspondingly entail things prefer enclosures:

wc -m theme.txt
Linux Count Personalities

Just prefer in the past, the output will distinctly brandish the count of personalities coordinated via by the filename.

Pointer: the Linux terminal can implement a hefty amount auxiliary than counting lines, words, and personalities in a file, such as dealing with time, date, and auxiliary grossing manipulate of timedatectl.

Count Bytes in a File

If you’re amazed to realize the dimension of a file instead of its inner estates, sprinted the wc command via the -c flag:

wc -c theme.txt
Linux Count Bytes

In this shuck, the digit of bytes is the same as the digit of personalities in the file. But, it can correspondingly be polymorphous in some hulls.

FYI: Traditional smaller sized documents? Here are the 12 ideal compression contraptions to compress documents on Linux.

Purge Pitches, Words, and Bytes in a File

There’s correspondingly a means to print the lines, words, and bytes in a file together in a single pitch up. The wc command displays this when you entirely form the filename without ephemeral any kind of stock. Implement the functioning with via command to implement so:

wc theme.txt
Linux Wc Purge All Outlines

As you can evaluate, the output mirrors three arenas in the same pitch up – 14 (lines in the file), 385 (words in the file), and 2320 (bytes in the file).

Pointer: Inquisitive how to avail things performed quicker? Here’s a novice’s overview to layer scripting in Linux.

Detect the Size of the Lengthiest Pitch in a File

You could be sensation plucky and yearn to locate out how long is the longest pitch up in your file. Kind the functioning with via command to brandish the length of the longest pitch up in your file:

wc -L theme.txt
Linux Count Size Of Lengthiest Pitch

The output mirrors the dimension of the longest pitch up in your epitomized file.

Purge wc Command Options

Lastly, there’s correspondingly a means to print with one voice the inconsistencies of the wc command for simplistic reference. You entirely should execute the functioning with via command to brandish with one voice of the commands we said overhanging:

wc --help
Linux Wc Purge Help

As you can evaluate, the output plainly mirrors the parameters (and their alternate solutions) you can utilise to brandish the assorted precisions of a wanted file.

Linux Incurable and Leading Commands

The wc command in Linux makes it exceptionally simplistic to locate out the digit of lines, words, personalities, or bytes in a Linux file. It’s one of the a hefty amount of thrifty Linux commands for modern users who are entirely dipping their toes in the earth of the ideal Linux distros. If you’re readjusting to Linux from a Mac, you could be amazed in the ideal Linux distros for Mac users. Alike, if you’re peeking for methodologies to brandish the contents of your Linux brochures, there are 15 Linux LS commands you should realize.

Picture debt: count word in a dictionary by 123RF

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