Free tools · LaTeX
LaTeX word count
Paste your .tex source, or open the file, and get the word count the way TeXcount and Overleaf report it: words in text, headers, captions and footnotes, with a per-section breakdown.
By section
| Section | Words |
|---|
How to use it
- Paste the LaTeX source, or pick the .tex file. Paste the contents of any \input files too if you want them counted.
- Choose whether the appendix counts.
- Read the totals and the per-section table. The main number is the running text; headers, captions and footnotes are listed beside it.
Why you'd use it
Word limits are set on the text, not on the markup. Counting a LaTeX file in a word processor counts \cite{...}, \ref{...}, the preamble and every command; counting the PDF counts the bibliography and the page headers. Neither is the number a journal or a grant office means.
This counter follows TeXcount's rules, which Overleaf's word count also uses, so the number here matches the one the submission system will compute.
FAQ
Does this match Overleaf's word count?
Overleaf runs TeXcount on the main file, and this counter applies the same rules: comments, commands, citations and references are ignored, headers, captions and footnotes are counted separately, and math and floats are counted as items. Small differences remain where TeXcount's macro handling is smarter; for a limit check, the two agree.
Are the bibliography and the preamble counted?
No. Only the text between \begin{document} and \end{document} is counted, and thebibliography and \printbibliography are excluded.
How are equations counted?
Inline math ($...$) and displayed equations are counted as items, not as words, which is what TeXcount does. If your limit counts equations as words, add the item counts to the text count.
What about \input and \include?
They are not followed: a browser page cannot read files from your disk by name. Paste each file's contents into the box, one after another, to count the whole document.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Counting runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.