OK, so there is a toolbar for word count. And it is not even automatic. It asks you to press the Recount button. Ugh! What idiots at Microsoft!

Let’s see what Help has to explain about that… Nothing new, all that had been previously discovered: Word Count in Tools menu, and the stupid toolbar.
The only good things is that it can count the stats for the selection only, which can also be non-contiguous.
See also:
WriteRight: The Writer's Word Processor, Adam C. Engst, tidbits.com