The problem with these games is that, sometimes, the author/publisher doesn't create a distinction between actual content (in words) and the number of lines that are just code and punctuation. They mash it all together to create the illusion of a bigger game. Also, depending on how experienced the author is, how clean/neat the code is can make a difference.
I'm not saying that's the case here - maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But it's a possibility. Still, 1.2 millions words is impressive, even if we only get to see a portion of it, each playthrough. If you only play once, of course you're never going to reach that number. The issue above can be applied to smaller games though (from the same publisher) so that's why I prefer 'em big.

Generally speaking, the word count in CoG Titles only includes new words (like, if you play the game a second time, with only minor changes in regards to your choices, only the new words would be counted for the total, instead of the whole thing) So you've got like a 99 percent chance this one won't be an exception.