LaTeX Word Count
Paste your LaTeX source or upload a .tex file to get a LaTeX word count of the text a reader actually sees. Commands, comments, labels and citation keys are skipped, equations and figures are counted separately, and nothing leaves your browser.
What Is a LaTeX Word Count?
Counting Words in LaTeX Source
A .tex file mixes prose with commands, so an ordinary word counter overcounts. A LaTeX word count strips the markup first and counts only the words that end up in the PDF.
What a LaTeX Word Counter Leaves Out
The preamble, comments, labels, citation keys, file names and code listings are ignored. Maths is not counted as words; inline formulas and displayed equations get totals of their own.
LaTeX Word Count for Headings, Captions and Footnotes
Section titles are included and also shown separately. Captions and footnotes count by default, and either can be switched off when a journal or course leaves them out.
Why Use Our LaTeX Word Count Tool?
No TeXcount Setup Needed
Counting on the command line needs a TeX installation and a terminal. Here you paste or upload, and the LaTeX word count appears as you type. It also handles files from Overleaf, TeXstudio or any other editor in the same way.
Private and Free
The file is processed in your browser and never uploaded. There is no account, no daily limit and nothing to install.
Browse all free LaTeX toolsNeed Characters Instead?
Abstracts and titles often have character limits rather than word limits. The character counter gives totals with and without spaces.
Open the character counterHow to Use It in 3 Steps
Step 1: Paste or Upload
Paste the body of your paper, or upload the whole .tex file; the preamble is skipped for you.
Step 2: Choose What Counts
Untick captions or footnotes if your word limit leaves them out.
Step 3: Read the Totals
The LaTeX word count, heading words, equations, figures, tables and citations update instantly as you edit.
Convert a PDF or scan to LaTeXOfficial references: TeXcount (CTAN)
LaTeX Word Count FAQ
- How do I count words?
- Paste the text into a word counter such as this one; it counts each run of letters or digits between spaces and punctuation. For LaTeX, it removes commands, maths and comments first.
- How do you count words in an essay?
- Count the body text, usually leaving out the title, reference list and appendices, and check your course rules on headings, quotes and captions. Paste the essay above for an exact total. If a limit is given as a range, aim for the middle of it.
- How to reduce word count?
- Cut repeated points and long introductions, replace wordy phrases with single words, and move detail into tables or footnotes when the rules leave those out of the limit.
- How to count word characters?
- A character counter counts every letter, space and punctuation mark. Our character counter shows the total with and without spaces, alongside the word count.
- How to check word count in Overleaf?
- Open the Menu and choose Word Count; Overleaf runs TeXcount on the main file. You can also paste the source here to see words, maths and citations counted separately. Overleaf only counts the main file and the files it includes, so check that every chapter is connected.
- How to count words in a paragraph?
- Paste the paragraph into the box above and the total updates as you type. Academic paragraphs often run from 100 to 200 words.
- How much over a word count can I go?
- Many universities allow about 10% either way, but others treat the limit as strict and penalise any excess. Check the brief, since rules on references and captions differ.
- How to count words on a website?
- Copy the page text and paste it here, or use a browser extension. For a LaTeX project, paste the .tex source rather than text copied from the rendered page.
- How to check word count in LaTeX?
- LaTeX itself has no word count. Use TeXcount from the command line, Overleaf's Word Count menu, or paste the source into this LaTeX word count tool.
- How does word count work?
- A counter splits the text at spaces and punctuation and counts the pieces that contain letters or digits. Tools treat hyphens, numbers and maths differently, so totals can differ slightly. This tool counts hyphenated words and contractions as one word each.
- How to count words manually?
- Count the words in five typical lines, average them and multiply by the number of lines. It is an estimate; pasting the text here gives the exact figure.
- How to count words on a page?
- A double-spaced page in 12 pt type holds about 250 to 300 words and a single-spaced page about 500 to 600. Paste the text of one page here to check yours. In LaTeX, font size, margins and the document class change this figure a lot.
- Does LaTeX word count include references?
- Not in this tool: \cite keys, \bibliography and the reference list are left out. TeXcount also skips the bibliography unless you include it on purpose.
- What does this LaTeX word count include?
- This LaTeX word count includes body text, section headings, captions and footnotes. Comments, the preamble, labels, citation keys and maths are left out, and equations are totalled separately.
- Is there a LaTeX command or package for word count?
- Yes: TeXcount, which comes with TeX Live and MiKTeX. Run texcount -inc -sum main.tex for a total that follows \input and \include files.
- How do I count words in VS Code, TeXstudio or other LaTeX editors?
- TeXstudio has a text statistics dialog under Tools, VS Code's LaTeX Workshop extension has a count-words command that calls TeXcount, and texcount works in any terminal.
- Can I count words per section?
- This page totals whatever you paste, so paste one section at a time. TeXcount's -sub=section option lists a count for every section at once. Splitting long papers by section also makes it easier to see where cuts will hurt least.
- How do I show the word count inside my LaTeX document?
- Call TeXcount from LaTeX with \write18 and shell escape enabled, or simply type the figure from this page into your title page or cover sheet.
- Is a LaTeX word count accurate?
- It is close, but tools differ on hyphenated words, numbers and maths, so totals can vary by a few per cent. When a limit is strict, use the counter your institution names.
- Should I count words in the PDF or the .tex file?
- The .tex file is more reliable for a LaTeX word count. Text copied from a PDF picks up page numbers, running headers and broken hyphenation, which inflate the total.
- How do I leave parts out of the word count?
- Untick captions or footnotes above. For anything else, paste only the text you need, or wrap it in %TC:ignore and %TC:endignore lines for TeXcount.
- Is my .tex file uploaded anywhere?
- No. Your browser reads and counts the file, and the text never leaves your device.
- How are Chinese, Japanese and Korean words counted?
- Each Chinese, Japanese or Korean character counts as one word, which is the convention most journals and universities use for those languages.
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