You can count the words in a PDF without uploading the file to a server, and with no account. PDF Word Count reads the selectable text on your device and reports words, characters, sentences, and reading time for the whole file or a page range. Scanned pages without a text layer count as zero until you run PDF OCR. Files can be up to 100 MB and 2,000 pages.
See total words, characters with and without spaces, sentences, and the average number of words per page.
Leave out a cover, references, or appendix by choosing the first and last page to include. Totals update instantly.
Estimates use 238 words per minute for silent reading and 130 words per minute for presenting aloud.
Check access, supported files, limits, and processing before choosing a document.
The core task does not require an account.
You can count the words in a PDF without uploading the file to a server, and with no account. PDF Word Count reads the selectable text on your device and reports words, characters, sentences, and reading time for the whole file or a page range. Scanned pages without a text layer count as zero until you run PDF OCR. Files can be up to 100 MB and 2,000 pages.
You can count the words in a PDF without uploading the file to a server, and with no account. PDF Word Count reads the selectable text on your device and reports words, characters, sentences, and reading time for the whole file or a page range. Scanned pages without a text layer count as zero until you run PDF OCR. Files can be up to 100 MB and 2,000 pages.
EditPDF AI rebuilds each page’s reading order from the PDF text layer, then counts words, characters with and without spaces, and sentences page by page. Hyphenated words and contractions count once, Chinese and Japanese characters count individually, and Thai, Lao, Khmer, and Burmese text uses the browser’s word segmenter. The source PDF is read-only and is never modified.
Common ways people use this tool in real documents and day-to-day workflows.
Check essays, theses, and journal submissions against a word limit, leaving out the title page, references, or appendix with a page range.
Estimate the size of a translation or editing job from the word and character counts before quoting.
Confirm the length of reports, white papers, and manuscripts, and see how long they take to read or present.
Verify filings and submissions that must stay under a word or page limit, with a per-page CSV for the record.
Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time in the selectable text of a PDF or a page range.
The PDF is a scan or photo, so its pages have no text layer to count yet. Use PDF OCR →
Counting rules differ between tools. Headers, footers, page numbers, footnotes, and text in figures are counted when they are selectable PDF text, and a PDF may split or join words differently from the source document. Use the page range to leave out front matter or references and compare like with like.
Select one PDF up to 100 MB and 2,000 pages. Each page’s text layer is read locally in your browser.
See total words, characters, sentences, average words per page, and reading and speaking time, plus a breakdown for every page.
Set the first and last page to leave out front matter or references, copy the summary, or download the per-page counts as CSV.
Confirm that your file is supported and understand how this tool handles document data.
Text extraction, counting, and CSV creation happen locally in your browser; the PDF is not uploaded and remains unchanged.
Open this comparison if you are deciding between the browser workflow and a manual process.
Copy text out of the PDF into a word processor and hope the line breaks paste cleanly.
Words are counted straight from the PDF text layer, page by page.
Delete the cover and references by hand to count only the main text.
Choose a page range and the totals update instantly.
Work out reading time with a calculator.
Reading and speaking time are estimated alongside the counts.
An illustrative workflow. Your document may produce a different result.
Count words, characters, and reading time in a PDF Return to the tool above to choose your file, or browse the complete PDF toolkit for another task.
