Does the exclamation mark count as a word count?

In fact, it was a frequently discussed question whether the punctuations counted as the number of words. In some cases, punctuations may be regarded as words because they may affect reading fluency and comprehension. For example, using commas and full stops in a long passage might make the passage look long because they take up extra words. In other cases, however, punctuations may not be considered words because they are used to separate sentences or passages. Under such circumstances, one needed to pay attention to the use of punctuations to avoid affecting the reading effect of the article. Whether or not the punctuations counted as words depended on the situation. When writing, you need to pay attention to the reading feedback and use proper punctuations to make the article clearer and easier to understand.