Sentence counter guide
How a sentence counter counts sentences, and what lengths to aim for
In short
Type or paste your text and the sentence count updates as you write. Beside it you get the word count, paragraphs, average sentence length and the longest sentence. The Every sentence tab lists each sentence with its word count and flags any over 25 words, the usual upper limit in plain-language guides. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
- Counts
- Sentences, words, paragraphs
- Also shows
- Average and longest sentence
- Long sentence flag
- Over 25 words
- Where your text goes
- Nowhere. It stays in your browser
How to count sentences in your text
Type or paste your text into the box. The large number is your sentence count, and it changes with every keystroke.
Read the panel beside the editor for words, paragraphs, the average sentence length and the longest sentence.
Open Sentence lengths to see a bar for each sentence, coloured short (1 to 10 words), medium (11 to 20) or long (21 or more), with a line for your average.
Open Every sentence to read each sentence with its word count. Sentences over 25 words are marked, so you know which ones to split.
What counts as a sentence?
The counter follows the Unicode sentence-boundary rules built into your browser. A sentence ends at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space and the next sentence, and a last sentence without punctuation still counts. Here's how common cases come out:
| Text | Sentences | Why |
|---|---|---|
It costs $3.50. Really?! Yes. | 3 | A decimal point doesn't end a sentence; ?! counts once |
She said, "Stop." Then she left. | 2 | A quote that ends in a full stop closes the sentence |
Is it 2.5 or 3? I think 3. | 2 | Question marks end sentences too |
Wait... what happened | 1 | An ellipsis followed by lowercase doesn't split |
| A heading on its own line | 1 | A line break ends a sentence, even without punctuation |
How long should a sentence be?
Plain-language guides agree on a short average and a hard ceiling. The Australian Government Style Manual advises an average of 15 words and no more than 25. The US Department of State's plain writing guidance puts the average at about 15 to 20 words.
| Average words per sentence | How it reads |
|---|---|
| Under 10 | Punchy, but can feel choppy over a whole page |
| 10 to 20 | Easy to follow; the target for most writing |
| 20 to 25 | Fine for academic or technical text, if some sentences are short |
| Over 25 | Hard to follow; split the longest sentences |
Variety matters as much as the average. A run of 20-word sentences reads as monotonous, while a mix of short and long sentences keeps readers moving. The Sentence lengths chart shows the rhythm at a glance, and our Word Counter adds a readability score once you have 10 words or more.
How to shorten a long sentence
Open Every sentence and start with the ones marked long. Most long sentences are two or three ideas joined together, so the fix is usually to split them, not to cut words.
- Split at “and”, “but” or “which” when each half can stand on its own.
- Move a list of three or more items into bullet points.
- Cut phrases that repeat what the sentence already says, such as “in order to” (use “to”) or “due to the fact that” (use “because”).
- Put the main point first, then the detail, so readers don't have to hold the sentence in their head.
- Keep one idea per sentence in instructions; people follow steps better when each sentence is one action.
After each edit the count updates, so you can see the average fall and the long flags disappear. Our guide to filler words has a longer list of phrases you can shorten.
How to count sentences in Word and Google Docs
Microsoft Word shows a sentence count in its readability statistics, alongside words per sentence, once you turn on readability statistics in the spelling and grammar options and run a check. Google Docs' Tools > Word count shows pages, words and characters but no sentence count, so paste the text here to count sentences.
Your text stays on your device
Counting runs in your browser. The text isn't sent to Words Calculator or anyone else, and a copy stays only in the open tab so a reload doesn't lose it. Tick “Remember this draft on this device” if you want it kept after you close the tab; it's still stored only on your device.
Common questions
How do I count the sentences in my text?
Paste or type the text into the sentence counter above. The sentence count appears straight away, with the word count, paragraphs and average sentence length beside it.
How many sentences are in a paragraph?
Usually three to eight. A paragraph should cover one idea, so it can be a single sentence or several; school essays often use body paragraphs of five to seven sentences.
What is a good average sentence length?
About 15 to 20 words. Plain-language guides such as the Australian Government Style Manual recommend an average of 15 words and no single sentence over 25.
Why is my sentence count higher than I expected?
Headings, list items and lines broken by a line break each count as a sentence, and a title such as “Dr.” can split one. Paste only the body text, or join broken lines with the Text Cleaner first.
Does a question mark or exclamation mark end a sentence?
Yes. A full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by the next sentence ends a sentence, and “?!” counts as one ending, not two.
Can Google Docs count sentences?
No. Google Docs' word count shows pages, words and characters but not sentences. Microsoft Word shows a sentence count in its readability statistics.
How many words are in an average sentence?
Plain, easy-to-read writing averages about 15 to 20 words a sentence. Academic and legal writing often runs longer, which is one reason it feels harder to read.
How do I shorten a long sentence?
Split it where it joins two ideas, often at “and”, “but” or “which”, move any list into bullet points, and cut padded phrases such as “in order to”. The Every sentence tab shows which sentences are over 25 words.
Does the sentence counter work for other languages?
Yes, for languages that end sentences with punctuation. It uses the Unicode sentence rules built into your browser, which also recognise marks such as the Chinese and Japanese full stop (。).
Is my text uploaded?
No. The counting runs in your browser and your text isn't sent anywhere. It's kept only in the open tab unless you tick the option to remember it on this device.
Sources
- Sentence length (Government Writing Handbook)Australian Government Style Manual
- Plain writing guidanceUS Department of State
- Unicode Text Segmentation (UAX #29), sentence boundariesUnicode Consortium
- Intl.SegmenterMDN Web Docs