PDF word count
Count the words and characters of a PDF, a Word document or pasted text, page by page, with reading and speaking time. Your file is read in your browser and never uploaded.
- Files never leave your device
- Free, no signup, no watermark
- Works on any browser
How to count the words in a PDF
- 1Add a PDF, Word or text file, or paste your text
- 2See words, characters, sentences and reading time
- 3Check each page and copy or download the counts
About PDF Word Count
A word counter for documents, not just text boxes. It reads the text of every PDF page, including PDFs that place words without space characters, and counts words, characters with and without spaces, sentences and pages, with average words per page and reading and speaking time. Scanned pages with no text are flagged with a link to OCR PDF, so nothing is silently missed. The most used words show a document's keywords and their density. Copy the counts or download a page-by-page CSV, for essays, translations, page limits and work billed by the word.
See also: PDF to Text, Compare PDFs
Useful for
- Check an essay or thesis against a word limit
- Quote a translation billed by the word or character
- See how long a speech takes to read aloud
- Find the keywords of a document and how often they appear
Frequently asked questions
How do I count the words in a PDF?+
Add the PDF and the count appears right away: words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, pages and reading time, plus the number of words on every page.
Does it count Word documents and pasted text too?+
Yes. Word .docx files, TXT and Markdown are counted the same way, and the Type or paste tab counts as you write.
Why does a page show No text?+
The page is most likely a scanned image, so there are no letters to count. Run OCR PDF first to turn the scan into text, then count it here.
Does it work for Japanese, Chinese or Arabic?+
Yes. Words are split with your browser's language rules, so Japanese and Chinese written without spaces are counted correctly, and their reading time is based on characters.
How is reading time calculated?+
At 238 words a minute for silent reading and 150 for speaking, the usual adult averages. Japanese and Chinese use 500 and 300 characters a minute.