Syllable Counter
Free online syllable counter: paste words, a line of poetry or a haiku to estimate the syllables per word and the total, instantly, in your browser.
Updated 2026-06-14 · Free · No sign-up · Runs privately in your browser
Per-word breakdown
How the Syllable Counter Works
Type or paste into the box and this tool estimates the total syllables in your text, the word count, and the average syllables per word. Open the breakdown to see the estimate for each individual word. It is built for poets writing haiku and sonnets, songwriters fitting lyrics to a melody, and anyone checking readability.
English is famously inconsistent, so no rule-based counter is perfect. This tool uses a well-known vowel-group heuristic that gets common words right and stays within a syllable on most others.
How it works
For each word, the counter:
- Drops a silent final “e” — the
ein make or time usually adds no syllable. - Counts vowel groups — each run of one or two vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y) is treated as one syllable, since clusters like ea or ou normally make a single sound.
- Adds one for “consonant + le” endings — words like table, little and syllable gain a syllable that the vowel-group rule would otherwise miss.
- Guarantees a minimum of one syllable per word.
Words of three letters or fewer are counted as a single syllable, which is true for the vast majority of them.
Worked Example
Take the line:
Roses are red, violets are blue
| Word | Syllables |
|---|---|
| Roses | 2 |
| are | 1 |
| red | 1 |
| violets | 2 |
| are | 1 |
| blue | 1 |
That totals 8 syllables across 6 words, an average of about 1.3 syllables per word.
Tips for Accurate Counts
- Read aloud to confirm tricky words like queue, fire and poem.
- Check line totals when writing fixed forms such as a 5-7-5 haiku.
- Treat names and invented words as estimates, since pronunciation varies.
Frequently asked questions
How does the syllable counter estimate syllables?+
For each word it drops a likely silent final 'e', counts the remaining vowel groups (runs of a, e, i, o, u or y), and adds one syllable for words ending in a consonant plus 'le', such as table or little. Every word counts as at least one syllable.
Is the syllable count always exact?+
It is a close estimate, not a dictionary lookup. English spelling is irregular, so tricky words like queue, poem, fire or rhythm can be off by one. For poetry where the count must be perfect, double-check unusual words by ear.
Can I use it to write a haiku?+
Yes. Paste each line and check that the syllable counts come to 5, 7 and 5. Because a few words are estimated, read your lines aloud to confirm the rhythm before finalising the poem.
What counts as a vowel group?+
A run of one or two adjacent vowels - a, e, i, o, u, and y - counts as a single group, since most vowel clusters make one sound (for example 'ea' in 'read' or 'ou' in 'sound'). Each group is roughly one syllable.
Does the counter work for names or made-up words?+
It applies the same vowel-group rules to any letters, so it produces a reasonable estimate for names and invented words too. Pronunciation can vary, so treat the result for unusual words as a guide rather than a definitive count.