Here’s how I would do it:
$total_posts = wp_count_posts(); /* Returns the number of posts */
echo $total_posts->publish; /* Prints the number of published posts */
EDIT:
Based on our conversations below, here’s the answer you were looking for:
$articles = new WP_Query(array( 'post_type' => 'post', 'posts_per_page' => -1));
while ($articles->have_posts()): $articles->the_post();
echo the_title;
echo the_excerpt;
echo the_tags;
echo the_date;
echo the_category();
endwhile;
10
solved WordPress have_pots() returning 1