Sentence counter
Paste your text to count sentences, measure average sentence length and find the sentences that run too long.
Sentence breakdown
Sentences longer than 25 words are highlighted.
Your sentences will appear here.
How sentences are counted
A sentence ends at a period, question mark, exclamation point or ellipsis — including the full-width 。！？ used in Chinese and Japanese. A line break also ends a sentence, so headings and list items count on their own.
Average sentence length is total words divided by total sentences. Most style guides recommend an average of 15–20 words for general readers; the Plain English Campaign suggests keeping most sentences under 25.
What's a good average sentence length?
| Average words per sentence | Reads as | Typical for |
|---|---|---|
| 8–14 | Very easy | News, marketing copy, UX text |
| 15–20 | Easy to standard | Blogs, business writing, most web content |
| 21–25 | Fairly difficult | Essays, reports, journalism features |
| 26+ | Difficult | Academic papers, legal documents |
Frequently asked questions
How does the sentence counter decide where a sentence ends?
At a period, question mark, exclamation point or ellipsis, or at a line break. Repeated marks such as “?!” or “...” count as one ending.
Are abbreviations like “Dr.” or “e.g.” counted as sentence endings?
Yes — like most automatic counters, a period followed by more text is treated as a sentence break, so abbreviations can slightly raise the count. For exact results, review the sentence breakdown list.
What is a good average sentence length?
For most web and business writing, aim for 15–20 words on average, and vary the length so the rhythm doesn't feel monotonous.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.