Setting the maximum word count for WordPress posts

Learn how to set maximum word count in a WordPress blog posts. This article will show you how to use a short PHP code to set a maximum word count for blogs.

WordPress does not specify a maximum word count for blog posts, and if your site accepts content from multiple authors, specifying a maximum work count is critical. This article will demonstrate how to set a maximum word count for a WordPress blog post.

Setting maximum word count for WordPress blogs

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Important

Always perform a backup before you make any changes to the theme files. If you break any codes, it will be easier to revert your site to its last good known state. Alternatively, you could also create a child theme. Read this link on how to create a child theme: https://www.hosting.com/blog/wordpress-child-theme/

Follow the steps below to edit your Theme setting file to set maximum word count blog posts  in WordPress:

  1. Log in to your WordPress site with an administrator account.

  2. On the Dashboard in the left sidebar, click Appearance, and then click Theme Editor:

  3. On the Theme Editor, select the Theme you want to edit from the dropdown:

  4. The files for this selected theme are listed on the right column under Theme Files. Click on the file named "functions.php":

  5. Insert the following code to the end of functions.php file and click Update File Button to save the changes:

function maxWord($title){

    global $post;

    $title = $post->post_title;

    if (str_word_count($title) >= 10 ) //set this to the maximum number of words

        wp_die( __('Error: your post title is over the maximum word count.') );

}

add_action('publish_post', 'maxWord');

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