Word Counter & Cost Estimator

A word counter tells you how many words are in a piece of text. Our free online word counter goes a step further: alongside the word count, it estimates the cost of translating that text based on a per-word rate you set. Type or paste your text, adjust the rate, and the estimated cost updates instantly. Everything runs in your browser — no sign-up, nothing uploaded.

Word count is the single most important number in the translation industry, because it is how most translation work is priced. Knowing the word count of a document is the first step to understanding what a translation project will cost and how long it will take.

The vast majority of professional translation is priced per word of the source text. Translators and agencies quote a per-word rate, multiply it by the number of words in the document, and that is the baseline cost. This makes word count the foundation of nearly every translation quote, which is why an accurate count is so valuable before you request quotes or budget a project.

Per-word rates vary widely depending on the language pair, the subject matter, the turnaround time, and whether the work is done by a professional human translator, a translator post-editing machine output, or pure machine translation. Rare language combinations and specialized fields like legal, medical, or technical translation command higher rates, while common pairs and general content cost less. Pricing per word keeps quotes transparent and easy to compare.

Paste your text into the box above to get the word count, then enter a per-word rate to see an instant cost estimate. If you do not know the going rate, try a range — for example a lower rate for general content and a higher one for specialized material — to see how the total changes. This gives you a quick, realistic sense of budget before approaching a translator or agency.

Remember that this is an estimate. Real quotes may factor in minimum fees for short jobs, discounts for repeated content via translation memory, rush charges, formatting work, and proofreading. Use the figure as a starting point for budgeting and comparison, not a final price.

Clients use it to budget translation projects and sanity-check quotes before committing. Freelance translators use it to price jobs and track their daily output (often measured in words per day). Project managers at agencies use word counts to scope timelines and assign work. Writers and students use it to meet length requirements. Whether you are buying or selling translation, the word count is where the conversation starts.