Sentence Counter
Count the sentences in any text, with words per sentence and the rest of the figures.
Processing: This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input and any file you open stay on your device — nothing is uploaded to a server.
How to use the sentence counter
- Paste or type your text.
- The counts update as you type.
- Read the highlighted figure, or any of the others below.
About this tool
Sentences are counted by terminal punctuation: a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis ends one, and a run of them together counts as a single ending rather than several.
That rule is simple and predictable, which also means it is fooled in the same places every such counter is. "Dr. Smith" and "3.5" contain full stops that do not end sentences, so they inflate the count. A text heavy with abbreviations or decimals will read a little high, and there is no reliable way to fix that without understanding the language.
The average words per sentence is often the more useful number. Prose that averages much above about 25 words per sentence is heavy going for most readers, and the figure is a quicker check than reading back through.
Common uses
- Checking a piece against a sentence limit.
- Spotting that your sentences have crept too long.
- Counting sentences in a translation brief.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a sentence counted?
- By terminal punctuation — a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis. Consecutive marks such as '?!' count once.
- Why is my count slightly high?
- Abbreviations like 'Dr.' and decimals like '3.5' contain full stops that do not end a sentence. Every counter using punctuation has this limitation.
- What is a good average sentence length?
- For general prose, around 15 to 20 words. Consistently above about 25 becomes hard work for the reader.