NAME

wc − count words, lines, and characters

SYNTAX

wc [−lwc] [name...]

DESCRIPTION

The wc command counts lines, words and characters in the named files, or in the standard input if no name appears. A word is a maximal string of characters delimited by spaces, tabs or new lines.

If an argument beginning with one of “lwc” is present, the specified counts (lines, words, or characters) are selected by the letters l, w, or c.  The default is −lwc. 

OPTIONS

−cDisplays number of characters only. 

−lDisplays number of lines only. 

−w
Displays number of words only.