Syllable Counter
Paste a poem, song lyric or any text and the counter totals the syllables, the words and the average syllables per word, and shows the syllables on every line. Pick haiku, tanka or your own pattern such as 5,7,5 and each line is marked as matching its target or not. Turn on Show each word to see how every word was counted, so you can spot the ones to fix. Everything runs in your browser.
| Line | Syllables | Target |
|---|---|---|
An old silent pond | 5 | 5 |
A frog jumps into the pond | 7 | 7 |
Splash! Silence again | 5 | 5 |
English spelling does not show how a word sounds, so a program can only estimate syllables. This counter groups vowels, adjusts for silent endings such as -e and -ed, handles common vowel pairs and knows a list of irregular words. It is right for most everyday words and can miss names, foreign words and unusual spellings, so turn on Show each word and fix the lines that matter by ear. Numbers and symbols are skipped. Everything runs in your browser.
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Analysis & CountingAbout the Syllable Counter
A syllable is a unit of sound built around a vowel sound, so cat has one, table has two and banana has three. English spelling does not show the sound reliably, which means a program can only estimate. The counter groups vowels, adjusts for silent endings such as the e in life and the ed in jumped, splits vowel pairs that are really two sounds, as in piano and being, and has a list of irregular words. It is right for most everyday words, but names, foreign words and unusual spellings can be off by one, and some words are said differently by different speakers. Use it as a fast first pass. A classic haiku has three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, and the sample text, An old silent pond, A frog jumps into the pond, Splash! Silence again, counts as 5, 7 and 5, which is 17 syllables in 13 words. Numbers and symbols are skipped. If a line matters, check the words in the per-word view and correct them by ear.
How does a syllable counter work?▾
It counts groups of vowels in each word and adjusts for common patterns such as silent endings, vowel pairs and irregular words.
Is the syllable count always correct?▾
No. English spelling does not map cleanly to sound, so names, foreign words and unusual words can be off by one. Check important lines by ear.
What is the haiku syllable pattern?▾
A haiku in English is usually three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, 17 in total. A tanka adds two more lines of 7 syllables.
Does it count numbers and symbols?▾
No. Only words made of letters are counted. Spell numbers out as words if you want them included.
Is my text uploaded?▾
No. The counting runs in your browser and your text is not sent anywhere.