PDF toolsUpdated July 2026

Free PDF Word Counter

Count words, characters, sentences, and reading time in a PDF, directly in your browser.

Free online tool No signup Direct download Browser-first privacy
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Add a PDF to count words

Choose a PDF file.

Maximum 150 MB
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How to count words in a PDF

  1. Add a PDF file.
  2. Wait for it to be read.
  3. See the word, character, sentence, and reading-time counts.

How this works

Your browser extracts the text from every page using the same PDF-reading engine used elsewhere on this site, then counts words, characters, and sentences from that extracted text — no file is uploaded, and no server-side processing is involved.

Common use cases

  • Check whether a document meets a word-count requirement
  • Estimate the reading time of a report or ebook
  • Get a quick character count for a PDF without opening it in an editor

Frequently asked questions

Is this PDF word counter free?

Yes. It is completely free, with no signup and no limits.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The PDF is read entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to Inqita or stored.

Does this work on scanned PDFs?

Only if the PDF has real, selectable text. Scanned image-only PDFs have no extractable text and would show a count of zero.

How is reading time calculated?

Using an average reading speed of 200 words per minute, a common estimate used across the web.

Can I also extract the full text, not just a count?

Yes — use the separate Extract Text from PDF tool if you need the actual text, not just the counts.