If you are using Word, you should be aware that the files contain much more information than is actually visible (deleted words, edits, etc.)
The safest would be to use the RTF format (File/save as...). Another benefit is that RTF does NOT support macros, hence no virus piggybacking.
RTF files can be read with Word, Wordpad, and a lot of readers ( the search for RTF reader in Google yields more than 200 000 answers !)