Whether you're working on an academic paper, a business report, or a creative project, knowing the exact word count in your PDF document can be incredibly useful. Many people find PDFs challenging to work with, especially when it comes to tasks like counting words. Fortunately, there are several straightforward methods to quickly and accurately count words in a PDF document.

In this guide, we’ll cover 5 easy ways to count words in a PDF document. We’ll discuss various tools and techniques that are both accessible and user-friendly. Each option is suitable for different needs and levels of technical expertise, so whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned pro, there's a solution here for you. Let's get started! 

Understanding the word count in a PDF document is essential for a range of reasons:

• Meeting word limits for essays, articles, or reports

• Budgeting translation projects, as translation costs often depend on word count

• Optimizing SEO content where a specific word count is required

• Planning document formatting based on length

Having a reliable word count helps ensure that you meet all project requirements effectively and efficiently.

• Pros: Quick, no software installation needed, free options available.

• Cons: Limited file size on free platforms; may not support scanned PDFs or images.

The Online PDF word counter is ideal if you need a quick word count without downloading software. Just check any file size limits if you’re using a free version. 

Adobe Acrobat Pro offers a built-in way to count words in a PDF document. Although Adobe Reader (the free version) doesn’t include this feature, Adobe Acrobat Pro makes word counting straightforward and accurate. 

• Pros: Accurate, directly built-in to Adobe software, no need to convert files.

• Cons: Only available in the paid version of Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Adobe Acrobat Pro’s word count feature is highly reliable for PDFs with straightforward text. However, for image-heavy or scanned documents, you may need an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool, which Adobe Acrobat Pro also provides. 

1. Upload your PDF to an online converter, such as Adobe’s online PDF converter, Smallpdf, or ILovePDF.

2. Download the Word document once the conversion is complete.

3. Open the converted document in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

4. Use the Word Count feature (usually found under the “Tools” menu) to see the total words. 

• Adobe’s Online PDF to Word Converter: Trusted and straightforward

• Smallpdf: Easy to use, with a clean interface

• ILovePDF: Offers a variety of document manipulation options

If your document contains mostly text, this method is fast and efficient. Ensure the layout and text remain intact after conversion to maintain an accurate word count.

Did you know that Microsoft Word can open PDF files directly? This feature allows you to open and view your PDF as a Word document, complete with the full functionality of Microsoft Word, including its word count tool. 

1. Open Microsoft Word, then go to File > Open.

2. Select your PDF file and open it.

3. Word will automatically convert the PDF into an editable format.

Go to Review > Word Count to view the total word count. 

• Pros: Accurate, straightforward, and available in many versions of Microsoft Word.

• Cons: Formatting may slightly change during conversion, especially for image-heavy PDFs.

This option is highly effective if you have Microsoft Word installed and want a reliable word count without relying on additional tools. 

For PDFs that contain scanned images or text that can’t be selected, an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool is necessary. OCR software reads text within an image, allowing you to convert it into selectable and countable text. 

1. Use an OCR tool like Adobe Acrobat Pro’s OCR, Google Drive’s OCR feature, or dedicated OCR programs such as ABBYY FineReader.

2. Run the OCR process to detect and convert text from the image.

3. Once the text is recognized, you can copy it into a word processor for an accurate word count.

• Adobe Acrobat Pro OCR: Built-in OCR with high accuracy for scanned documents.

• Google Drive OCR: Free OCR feature in Google Docs, ideal for basic needs.

• ABBYY FineReader: Advanced OCR software, suitable for complex documents. 

• Pros: Allows word counting on scanned PDFs, highly accurate.

• Cons: Requires specific OCR software, some tools may be paid.

OCR is invaluable for scanned documents or image-based PDFs. Once converted, simply use any word processing tool to check the word count.