Syllable Counter
Type or paste a word or any text to count its syllables.
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How to use the Syllable counter
- Click into the Text box. It starts with a short sample text.
- Delete the sample and type or paste your own text. The result updates at once.
- Read the Total syllables figure, which is the large number at the top.
- Check Words and Average syllables per word.
- Look at Longest word(s), by syllables to see which words have the most syllables.
- If you entered exactly one word, read the This is one word line, such as “banana” has 3 syllables.
- Scroll to Words by number of syllables for the 1, 2, 3, and 4+ groups, and to Every distinct word for each word’s count. Check any word marked Rules by ear.
To start quickly, try one of the presets: A sentence, Two poem lines, or Long words.
The Every distinct word table is case-insensitive and shows the first 300 words, with a note such as “first 300 of N” if there are more. Text beyond 200,000 characters is cut, with a warning. Use Copy result to copy the numbers as text, Copy link to copy a web address that reopens the tool with your settings, and Print / save as PDF to keep a record. Reset returns the tool to its starting sample. A very long pasted text is left out of the copied link.
How many syllables are in this word or sentence?
Paste the word or sentence into the Text box, and the number under Total syllables is your answer. The tool adds up the syllables of every word, so “banana” gives 3 and “The cat sat on the mat.” gives 6.
How do I count syllables?
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation with one vowel sound. Count the vowel sounds you hear: “cat” has 1, “water” has 2, and “beautiful” has 3. For “Water is beautiful.” the tool finds 6 syllables in 3 words, an average of 2 per word. A hyphenated word is counted piece by piece and added, so “well-known” counts as 2.
Each average per word feeds readability formulas such as Flesch Reading Ease. These formulas only measure sentence length and word or syllable length. They cannot judge meaning, correctness, or whether a text suits a reader.
Is the counter always right?
No. Words labelled Dictionary take their count from a list of CMU Pronouncing Dictionary counts, used where the counting rules are known to disagree with it. Words labelled Rules are counted by spelling rules: groups of vowels, minus silent endings -e, -ed, and -es, plus common two-syllable vowel pairs. Rule counts agree with the dictionary on about 90% of its words, so treat them as estimates. Accents can also change a count, and “every” can be 2 or 3. Check Rules words by ear.
Can I count syllables line by line?
This page gives one total for the whole text. Use the syllable checker page for line-by-line work. You can see the effect here with two lines: “The wind comes softly through the trees / And carries autumn on its breath” gives 16 syllables (8 + 8) in 13 words.
Does it count a poem or haiku?
Yes. The tool counts any English text, including poem lines, so paste a poem to get its total and word count. For a 5-7-5 haiku, use the haiku syllable counter page.
How many syllables does a number have?
The tool counts every number as 1 syllable and labels it Number. A number such as 1,000.50 counts as one word. Because the count follows the digits, not the spoken form, it may not match how you say the number aloud.
Does it work for Spanish?
No. The counter is for English only. Spanish text will not be counted correctly, so use the counter only with English text.
Sources (checked 2026-10-15): CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.
Worked examples
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| The cat sat on the mat. It was a warm day. The dog ran to the park and played wi | 29 syllables in 29 words |
| Learning to read is an adventure for everyone. | 13 syllables in 8 words |
| The wind comes softly through the trees And carries autumn on its breath | 16 syllables in 13 words |
| extraordinary unbelievable responsibility communication | 22 syllables in 4 words |
| banana | 3 syllables in 1 words |
Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tool store the text I paste?
No. Counting runs in your browser, and pasted text is never sent anywhere or stored by the site.
Is the syllable counter free?
Yes. It is free to use, with no sign-up and no account.
What does “Rules” mean in the Count from column?
It means the count was worked out by spelling rules rather than taken from the dictionary list. Names, loanwords and unusual words are the likeliest to be off by one, so check them by ear.
How are hyphenated words counted?
Each part is counted separately and the results are added. “well-known” counts as 2.
Can the counter judge or correct my writing?
No. It is a count only. It does not grade, correct, or improve writing.
Is there a limit on how much text I can paste?
Yes. Input beyond 200,000 characters is cut with a warning. The distinct-word table shows the first 300 words.
Why does a word differ from my dictionary?
Dictionaries disagree on some words. This tool follows the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary list plus spelling rules, so “every”, for example, is counted as 3 syllables.
Can I share or print my result?
Copy result copies the numbers as text, Copy link copies a web address that reopens the tool with your settings, and Print / save as PDF opens your browser’s print dialog. A very long pasted text is left out of the link.
Related tools
- Syllable checker: use it when you need to check syllables line by line.
- Haiku syllable counter: use it to check a 5-7-5 haiku.
- Sentence counter: use it to count sentences alongside your syllable totals.
- Flesch reading ease calculator: use it to see a Flesch Reading Ease score for your text.
- Flesch-Kincaid calculator: use it to work out a Flesch-Kincaid grade level.
- Readability checker: use it to compare readability measures in one place.