diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/utilwrapper.c b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/utilwrapper.c
index 1b7adefd1..ed0bc12df 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/utilwrapper.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/jni/utilwrapper.c
@@ -216,8 +216,7 @@ and_util_turnChanged(XW_UtilCtxt* uc)
 #endif
 
 static void
-and_util_informMove( XW_UtilCtxt* uc, XWStreamCtxt* expl, 
-                     XWStreamCtxt* words, XP_U16 wordCount )
+and_util_informMove( XW_UtilCtxt* uc, XWStreamCtxt* expl, XWStreamCtxt* words )
 {
     UTIL_CBK_HEADER( "informMove", "(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/String;)V" );
     jstring jexpl = streamToJString( MPPARM(util->util.mpool) env, expl );
@@ -227,8 +226,6 @@ and_util_informMove( XW_UtilCtxt* uc, XWStreamCtxt* expl,
     (*env)->DeleteLocalRef( env, jexpl );
     if ( !!jwords ) {
         (*env)->DeleteLocalRef( env, jwords );
-    } else {
-        XP_ASSERT( 0 == wordCount );
     }
     UTIL_CBK_TAIL();
 }
diff --git a/xwords4/common/model.c b/xwords4/common/model.c
index 1309b56da..2023f966f 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/model.c
+++ b/xwords4/common/model.c
@@ -2046,19 +2046,15 @@ recordWord( const XP_UCHAR* word, XP_Bool isLegal, void* closure )
         stream_putU8( stream, '\n' );
     }
     stream_catString( stream, word );
-    if ( NULL != info->nWordsP ) {
-        *info->nWordsP = info->nWords;
-    }
     return XP_TRUE;
 }
 
 WordNotifierInfo* 
-model_initWordCounter( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream, XP_U16* nWords )
+model_initWordCounter( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream )
 {
     XP_ASSERT( model->vol.wni.proc == recordWord );
     XP_ASSERT( model->vol.wni.closure == &model->vol.rwi );
     model->vol.rwi.stream = stream;
-    model->vol.rwi.nWordsP = nWords;
     model->vol.rwi.nWords = 0;
     return &model->vol.wni;
 }
@@ -2078,7 +2074,7 @@ model_getWordsPlayed( ModelCtxt* model, XP_U16 nTurns, XWStreamCtxt* stream )
     }
 
     if ( model_undoLatestMoves( model, NULL, nTurns, NULL, NULL ) ) {
-        WordNotifierInfo* ni = model_initWordCounter( model, stream, NULL );
+        WordNotifierInfo* ni = model_initWordCounter( model, stream );
         /* Now push the undone moves back into the model one at a time.
            recordWord() will add each played word to the stream as it's
            scored */
diff --git a/xwords4/common/model.h b/xwords4/common/model.h
index c62342b10..b24b2371f 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/model.h
+++ b/xwords4/common/model.h
@@ -272,8 +272,7 @@ XP_U16 figureMoveScore( const ModelCtxt* model, XP_U16 turn, MoveInfo* mvInfo,
                         WordNotifierInfo* notifyInfo );
 
 /* tap into internal WordNotifierInfo */
-WordNotifierInfo* model_initWordCounter( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream, 
-                                         XP_U16* nWords );
+WordNotifierInfo* model_initWordCounter( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream );
 
 /********************* persistence ********************/
 #ifdef INCLUDE_IO_SUPPORT
diff --git a/xwords4/common/modelp.h b/xwords4/common/modelp.h
index 2d1085400..f9b15db7d 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/modelp.h
+++ b/xwords4/common/modelp.h
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ typedef struct PlayerCtxt {
 
 typedef struct _RecordWordsInfo {
     XWStreamCtxt* stream;
-    XP_U16* nWordsP;
     XP_U16 nWords;
 } RecordWordsInfo;
 
diff --git a/xwords4/common/server.c b/xwords4/common/server.c
index e4a1e0c5f..ab972158c 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/server.c
+++ b/xwords4/common/server.c
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ typedef struct ServerNonvolatiles {
     RemoteAddress addresses[MAX_NUM_PLAYERS];
     XWStreamCtxt* prevMoveStream;     /* save it to print later */
     XWStreamCtxt* prevWordsStream;
-    XP_U16        prevWordCount;
 } ServerNonvolatiles;
 
 struct ServerCtxt {
@@ -758,8 +757,7 @@ makeRobotMove( ServerCtxt* server )
                 if ( !!stream ) {
                     XWStreamCtxt* wordsStream = mkServerStream( server );
                     WordNotifierInfo* ni = 
-                        model_initWordCounter( model, wordsStream, 
-                                               &server->nv.prevWordCount );
+                        model_initWordCounter( model, wordsStream );
                     (void)model_checkMoveLegal( model, turn, stream, ni );
                     XP_ASSERT( !server->nv.prevMoveStream );
                     server->nv.prevMoveStream = stream;
@@ -870,8 +868,7 @@ showPrevScore( ServerCtxt* server )
             stream_destroy( prevStream );
         }
 
-        util_informMove( util, stream, server->nv.prevWordsStream,
-                         server->nv.prevWordCount );
+        util_informMove( util, stream, server->nv.prevWordsStream );
         stream_destroy( stream );
         stream_destroy( server->nv.prevWordsStream );
         server->nv.prevWordsStream = NULL;
@@ -1879,9 +1876,7 @@ makeMoveReportIf( ServerCtxt* server, XWStreamCtxt** wordsStream )
         ModelCtxt* model = server->vol.model;
         stream = mkServerStream( server );
         *wordsStream = mkServerStream( server );
-        WordNotifierInfo* ni = 
-            model_initWordCounter( model, *wordsStream, 
-                                   &server->nv.prevWordCount );
+        WordNotifierInfo* ni = model_initWordCounter( model, *wordsStream );
         (void)model_checkMoveLegal( model, server->nv.currentTurn, stream, ni );
     }
     return stream;
diff --git a/xwords4/common/util.h b/xwords4/common/util.h
index bee096c4d..4ba082f01 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/util.h
+++ b/xwords4/common/util.h
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ typedef struct UtilVtable {
     void (*m_util_turnChanged)(XW_UtilCtxt* uc);
 #endif
     void (*m_util_informMove)( XW_UtilCtxt* uc, XWStreamCtxt* expl, 
-                               XWStreamCtxt* words, XP_U16 wordCount );
+                               XWStreamCtxt* words );
     void (*m_util_notifyGameOver)( XW_UtilCtxt* uc );
 
     XP_Bool (*m_util_hiliteCell)( XW_UtilCtxt* uc, XP_U16 col, XP_U16 row );
@@ -228,8 +228,8 @@ struct XW_UtilCtxt {
 # define util_turnChanged( uc )
 #endif
 
-#define util_informMove(uc,e,w,wc) \
-         (uc)->vtable->m_util_informMove( (uc),(e),(w),(wc) )
+#define util_informMove(uc,e,w) \
+         (uc)->vtable->m_util_informMove( (uc),(e),(w))
 #define util_notifyGameOver( uc ) \
          (uc)->vtable->m_util_notifyGameOver((uc))
 
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/cursesmain.c b/xwords4/linux/cursesmain.c
index 0bc9548b4..3e9dde4f9 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/cursesmain.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/cursesmain.c
@@ -333,8 +333,7 @@ cursesShowFinalScores( CursesAppGlobals* globals )
 
 static void
 curses_util_informMove( XW_UtilCtxt* uc, XWStreamCtxt* expl, 
-                        XWStreamCtxt* XP_UNUSED(words), 
-                        XP_U16 XP_UNUSED(wordCount) )
+                        XWStreamCtxt* XP_UNUSED(words))
 {
     CursesAppGlobals* globals = (CursesAppGlobals*)uc->closure;
     char* question = strFromStream( expl );
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c b/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c
index 8f04378d1..01fd16e61 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c
@@ -1388,9 +1388,8 @@ gtkShowFinalScores( const CommonGlobals* cGlobals )
 
 static void
 gtk_util_informMove( XW_UtilCtxt* XP_UNUSED(uc), XWStreamCtxt* XP_UNUSED(expl), 
-                     XWStreamCtxt* words, XP_U16 wordCount )
+                     XWStreamCtxt* words )
 {
-    XP_LOGF( "%s(wordCount=%d)", __func__, wordCount );
     char* question = strFromStream( words/*expl*/ );
     (void)gtkask( question, GTK_BUTTONS_OK );
     free( question );