Syllable Counter
This free syllable counter counts syllables in a word, a line, or a whole text, with a line-by-line breakdown for poems and song lyrics.
- Syllables
- 0
- Words
- 0
- Per word
- 0
- Lines
- 0
Breakdown
Syllable counts for each line and word appear here.
About
What Is a Syllable Counter?
A syllable counter splits words into their spoken beats: “wa-ter” has two, “beau-ti-ful” has three. Paste any text to count syllables across a whole passage, or type one word to see how many syllables it has.
Because it works line by line, it doubles as a syllable calculator for verse, showing syllables per line so you can check a meter at a glance. The word counter uses the same estimates for its readability score, and text to speech lets you hear a line’s rhythm.
Guide
How to Use the Syllable Counter
Type a single word, or paste a sentence, poem, or song lyric. Put each line of verse on its own line.
Read the totals at the top: syllables, words, syllables per word, and the pattern across lines.
Use By line to check meter, such as the 5 · 7 · 5 pattern of a haiku, which is flagged automatically.
Switch to By word to see how many one-, two-, and three-syllable words you use, and which words are longest.
Features
Key Features
Syllables per line
Every line gets its own count, ideal for checking meter in poetry and matching lines in a song.
Haiku check
Three lines in a 5 · 7 · 5 pattern are recognized automatically, which makes it a quick haiku syllable counter.
Word-by-word breakdown
See the syllables in a word for every word you used, sorted by first use or by length.
Pronunciation rules
Handles silent e, silent -ed, -le endings, and vowel pairs said separately, plus a list of irregular words.
Use cases
Who It’s For
Poets
Use it as a syllable counter for poems: check haiku, sonnets, and limericks line by line.
Songwriters
A lyrics syllable counter makes it easy to match verses so they fit the same melody.
Teachers and students
Answer “how many syllables?” for spelling lists, phonics practice, and poetry lessons.
How does the syllable counter online work?
Each word is split into vowel sounds, then adjusted with English pronunciation rules: silent final e (“make”), silent -ed (“jumped”), -es after hissing sounds (“horses”), syllabic -le (“ta-ble”), and vowel pairs said separately (“pi-a-no”). A built-in list covers irregular words like “people”.
How accurate is this syllable checker?
It counts nearly all everyday words correctly. Names, rare words, and words whose pronunciation varies, such as “every” (two or three syllables) or “fire” (one or two), may be off by one. For poetry, read borderline lines aloud.
Why do syllables matter in writing?
Syllables drive rhythm in poetry and lyrics, and they are part of readability formulas like Flesch reading ease: more syllables per word reads as harder. The word counter uses the same estimates for its score.