Syllable Counter
Count syllables in any word, sentence or poem — with a per-word breakdown.
Syllables are the beats inside words: “cat” has one, “hello” has two, “beautiful” has three. Counting them matters for haiku (5-7-5), song lyrics, poetry meters, speech practice and readability scores, several of which are built directly on syllables per word.
Related tools: Word Counter · Readability Score Checker
How to use
- Type or paste any text — a single word, a sentence, a whole poem.
- Totals update live: syllables, words, and syllables per word.
- The chips under the result show the count for every distinct word, so you can find the one word that breaks your haiku.
- Multi-line text also gets a per-line count — paste a three-line poem and each line is checked against the 5-7-5 haiku pattern.
About this tool
This counter uses the standard vowel-group method refined with the silent-e and consonant-le rules, and it counts entirely in your browser — your text never leaves the device.
English spelling is not a perfect record of pronunciation, so treat the count as a strong estimate: it is right for the large majority of everyday words, and the FAQ is honest about the exceptions.
How it works
The counter groups consecutive vowels — each group is normally one syllable — then applies the spelling rules that pronunciation follows: a final silent e is removed (make = 1), but a consonant + le ending keeps its syllable (table = 2, syllable = 3). Word-final -ed is silent except after t or d (walked = 1, wanted = 2).
A refinement handles hiatus, where two written vowels are two sounds: ia and io after a consonant usually split (piano = 3, violin = 3, Australia = 4), and word-final vowel pairs split as well (video = 3, radio = 3). Glide endings are protected: -tion, -sion and -cial stay single (education = 4, special = 2), as do -sia (Asia = 2) and n+io (union = 2).
Worked examples
Haiku check: “An old silent pond” — the counter reads 5. “A frog jumps into the pond” reads 7. “Splash silence again” reads 5. Three pastes, and the 5-7-5 pattern is verified instead of counted on fingers.
Songwriting to a melody: A chorus line that must fit eight notes: paste candidate lines and keep the ones that total 8 syllables. The per-word chips show exactly which word to swap when a line comes out at 9.
Quick reference
| Word | Syllables | Why |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | 3 | beau-ti-ful: “eau” is one vowel group |
| syllable | 3 | consonant + le keeps its syllable |
| Australia | 4 | final “ia” splits into two sounds |
| education | 4 | -tion is a single glide ending |
| queue | 1 | four vowel letters, one sound |
| unconstitutional | 6 | un-con-sti-tu-tion-al |
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the count?
The vowel-group heuristic is correct for the large majority of common English words — including tricky ones like “beautiful” (3), “syllable” (3) and “computer” (3). Known slip cases are words whose spelling hides a syllable or adds a silent one: “Wednesday” (said as 2, spelled like 3), “business” (2), “rhythm” (2, with a syllabic m no counter can hear from spelling).
How do I check a haiku?
Paste all three lines at once: the per-line counts appear under the result and each line is checked against the classic pattern — 5 syllables, then 7, then 5 — with a tick where a line matches.
What is a syllable, exactly?
One pulse of sound built around a single vowel sound. “A” is one syllable, “away” is two (a-way), “Australia” is four. Diphthongs like the “oi” in “coin” count as one syllable even though two vowel letters appear.
Why does syllables-per-word matter?
It is a core input to readability formulas such as Flesch Reading Ease: text averaging about 1.3–1.5 syllables per word reads easily to a wide audience, while 1.8+ signals dense, technical writing. Try the Readability tool for the full score.
Does it handle names and made-up words?
It applies the same spelling rules to anything you type, so names get a reasonable estimate — but coined words have no official pronunciation, so the count follows how they look, not how you say them.
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