Counting words in French for the TCF and TEF Canada

Why the count matters

In TCF Canada, each task has a minimum and a maximum number of words: 60 to 120, 120 to 150 and 120 to 180. A task that does not have the required number of words can lead to the answer being rated “A1 not reached”. In TEF Canada, only minimums are given: 80 words for Section A and 200 for Section B.

A difference of a few words in the count can therefore decide which side of the limit you land on when you write close to a boundary.

We could not confirm whether the software for each test shows a word counter. Do not rely on it: learn to estimate the length of your text and check it.

What is not published

As far as we know, neither exam body has published a precise word-counting rule: there is no official answer on whether “l’ami” is one word or two, or on how hyphens are treated. Everything below reflects common practice or the convention of our own counter, not an official rule.

Some prep sites claim that a word is a string of characters separated by spaces or punctuation, and that the computer-based TEF counter splits at apostrophes and hyphens. These are claims from candidates and third-party sites, not confirmed officially.

Without an official rule, the careful approach is to stay within the range whichever method is used: count your text at least twice, with the strict method (at spaces) and the broad method (at apostrophes and hyphens).

The cases that cause doubt in French

French raises problems English rarely does, because elision glues two words together (l’ami, qu’est-ce que) and hyphens are frequent (peut-être, vingt-deux, c’est-à-dire).

Another trap is dates and times (“8 h 30”, “le 5 mai”), where each space-separated piece is counted. In our counter, an isolated digit counts as a word.

• Elisions (l’ami, d’accord, aujourd’hui): one word if you only split at spaces, two if you also split at the apostrophe.
• Hyphenated words (peut-être, vingt-deux): the same choice applies.
• Numbers: “2026” counts as one word; “1 000”, written with a space, makes two.
• Guillemets and punctuation: in French typography, the guillemets « » and the signs ? ! : ; are often set off from the word by a space. Standing alone like that, they are not real words; our counter ignores them.

The convention of our counter

Our tool splits the text at spaces and ignores any piece with no letter or digit, so an isolated « » or dash does not count. By default it splits at spaces only for TCF-type prompts, and at spaces, apostrophes and hyphens for TEF-type prompts. That is our own choice, presented as an estimate, not the exam’s rule.

The table shows the gap this makes on a few expressions.

On paper, count the words in an average line, multiply by the number of lines, then subtract the incomplete lines. That rough estimate is enough to tell whether you are far from the limits.

Too short, too long: keep a margin

Since the exact rule is unknown, do not try to finish right on the limit. In a text full of elisions (l’, d’, qu’, n’, j’), the gap between two methods widens quickly. Aim for the middle of the range in TCF, and clear the minimum comfortably in TEF without writing more than the time allows.

If you are too short, add an example or a developed argument rather than filler. If you are over, cut repetition and sentences that do nothing for the purpose of the task.

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• Guide: how to write tasks 1, 2 and 3