Count words in a document
Drop one or more files, or paste text: the count shows every part of the document separately, so you decide whether footnotes, headers, captions, references and citations count. Files are read on your device and never uploaded.
Drop documents here
Word (.docx, .doc), Pages, PDF, ODT, RTF, TXT, Markdown or HTML, up to 50 MB each and 100 at a time. Read on this device; never uploaded.
- Choose or drop a file.
- Switch off the parts you do not want.
- Read the count, the sections and the pages.
Words counted
0
Drop a file or paste text to start.
- Characters
- 0
- Without spaces
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 s
- Speaking time
- 0 s
- Pages (estimate)
- 0.0
- Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced, US Letter
Page settings
1-inch margins. Reading at 238 and speaking at 183 words per minute. How pages are estimated
What Google Docs, Word and this page count
| Part | Google Docs | Word | This page (default) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main text, headings, tables | Counted | Counted | Counted |
| Text boxes | Counted | Only with the box ticked | Counted |
| Footnotes | Left out | Only with the box ticked | Left out |
| Headers and footers | Left out | Not stated | Left out |
| Reference list, appendices | Counted | Counted | Counted (switch) |
| In-text citations | Counted | Counted | Counted (switch) |
Google Docs: “everything except headers, footers, and footnotes” (Google Docs Editors Help). Word: text boxes and footnotes join the total from the Word Count dialog on the Review tab (Microsoft Support). Opened on October 18, 2026.
Counting an essay?
The essay word counter starts with the reference list and appendices left out, and adds a word limit with a progress bar. It reads the same files.
Planning pages?
The page estimate in the panel lays out your own paragraphs. For a word count without the text, use words to pages, with a table for every font and spacing.
Why does my document have two different word counts?
Because programs leave different parts out. Google Docs counts everything except headers, footers and footnotes. Word adds text boxes and footnotes to its total only when you choose to in its Word Count dialog. A PDF converter may add running headers and page numbers to the text. This counter puts each of those parts on its own line with its own switch, so you can match either program, or the rule you were given, and see exactly where the difference comes from.
Which file types can I count?
Word (.docx and older .doc), Apple Pages (.pages), OpenDocument text (.odt, from LibreOffice), Rich Text (.rtf), PDF, plain text, Markdown and HTML, up to 50 MB each. A PDF is read up to 1,500 pages. Word binary files (.doc) and Apple Pages files are read directly in the browser with no upload. A scanned PDF has pictures of text instead of text, so it shows zero words and a note saying why.
Can I count several files at once?
Yes. Drop up to 100 files together and they are read one after another. A table lists each file with its counted words and estimated pages, and the total. Every switch applies to all the files at once, and the table downloads as a CSV file that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. Click a file name to see its parts and sections.
What does the count by section show?
The words under each heading, down to the next heading, with the headings of the file: Word and OpenDocument heading styles, HTML and Markdown headings, larger type in a PDF, and short title lines in pasted text. Notes count in the section that refers to them. It is the quickest way to check a chapter or an assignment with a limit for each part.
Questions about counting words in documents
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is opened by your browser with the File API and read on your device: Word and OpenDocument files are unzipped in the page, PDFs are read by PDF.js running in the page. Nothing is sent to a server, stored or put in the address bar, so closing the tab clears it. You can check this by opening a file with your network switched off.
How do you count a word?
A word is a run of letters or digits. An apostrophe, hyphen or dot between two letters keeps them together (don’t, e-mail, 3.5), and so does a comma or colon between digits (1,000 and 10:30). Each Chinese, Japanese or Korean character counts as one word. The rule is the same as on WordCount.tools, our live counter, so both give the same number for the same text.
Are footnotes counted?
Not by default, which matches what Google Docs shows. Tick Footnotes or Endnotes in the parts list to add them. In a Word file the note numbers themselves never count; in a PDF, small type at the foot of a page that starts with a note number is treated as a footnote.
Are headers, footers and page numbers counted?
Not by default. In a Word or OpenDocument file they are separate parts of the file and are counted once each. In a PDF, a line that repeats at the top or bottom of most pages, and a line that is only a page number, are treated as headers and footers.
Why is my PDF count different from the Word file it came from?
A PDF keeps only text placed on pages. Hyphenated words at the end of a line, running headers and page numbers can end up in the text; this counter joins split words and separates repeated lines, but tables and text in several columns can still read in a different order. Counting the original .docx is always the closest to what you wrote.
How many pages is my document?
The estimate lays your paragraphs out in the font, size and spacing you choose, on Letter or A4 with 1-inch margins. At Times New Roman 12 pt that comes to about 320 words per double-spaced page and 640 single-spaced. Open the page settings in the result panel to change it.
More ways to count
- Essay word counterLeave out references, notes and citations, and track your word limit.
- DOCX word countA Word file counted part by part, next to the count Word saved.
- PDF word countWords per page, without running headers, page numbers or split words.
- Words to pagesPages from a word count or a file, by font, size and spacing.
- How we countWhat a word is, which parts count, and why tools disagree.
Sources and limits of the count
- See word count & page count in Google Docs
“Unless you select a section of the document, word count applies to everything except headers, footers, and footnotes.”
Google Docs Editors Help. Opened on .
- Word count
The Word Count dialog on the Review tab shows more detail and has the option to include text boxes and footnotes in the total.
Microsoft Support. Opened on .
- ECMA-376, Office Open XML File Formats
ECMA-376, Office Open XML file formats, the standard behind .docx, including Part 2, Open Packaging Conventions: the zip package that holds the parts of a document.
Ecma International. Opened on .
- Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) v1.3
The schema behind .odt, which defines headings (text:h), notes (text:note), comments (office:annotation) and the document statistics element (meta:document-statistic).
OASIS. Opened on .
- PDF.js
“A general-purpose, web standards-based platform for parsing and rendering PDFs.” Used here to take the text of a PDF, with the position of each piece, out in the browser.
Mozilla. Opened on .
- How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate
Average adult rates in English: 238 words per minute for silent reading of non-fiction, 260 for fiction, 183 for reading aloud.
Brysbaert (2019), Journal of Memory and Language 109. Cited reference: we could not open the page on the day of our check, so it is listed as the published reference.
Word processors and course rules count some parts differently, so treat the total as a check and your course handbook or publisher as the rule. Files are read on your device: nothing you drop or paste is uploaded.