===Usage Just drop the following lines to a model you want to add this validation to: class Article < ActiveRecord::Base validates_word_count :summary, :maximum => 30 validates_word_count :about_author, :minimum => 25 validates_word_count :annotation, :in => 100..150 end That's it. It will make sure that the :summary value does not exceed 30 words, :annotation value word count is in 100..150 words range, and about_autor has at least 25 words. It supports regular validation options such as :if, :unless, :allow_nil etc., and works fine in conjunction with 'Validation Scenariios' plugin (http://agilewebdevelopment.com/plugins/validation_scenarios) It also extends ruby core String class and adds 'words' method to it, so all the following assertions pass: assert_equal 0, ''.words assert_equal 1, 'Hello'.words assert_equal 2, 'Hello All!'.words