my @w = map /\S+/, <DATA>;
use Data::Dumper;print Dumper \@w;
__DATA__
aboveboard aboveground abovementioned abrade Abraham Abram Abramson
abrasion abrasive abreact abreast abridge abridgment abroad
Produces:
$VAR1 = [
1,
1
];
Test your code the next time ;^). You really meant /\S+/g:
my @w = map /\S+/g, <DATA>;
use Data::Dumper;print Dumper \@w;
__DATA__
aboveboard aboveground abovementioned abrade Abraham Abram Abramson
abrasion abrasive abreact abreast abridge abridgment abroad
$VAR1 = [
'aboveboard',
'aboveground',
'abovementioned',
[...]