Syllable Counter
Count the syllables in a word or a line — essential for haiku, poetry and lyrics.
Counting the beats
Syllables are the beats of a word, and some writing lives or dies by them: a haiku's five-seven-five, a limerick's rhythm, a lyric that has to scan, a poem in strict metre. Counting them by ear is easy to get wrong on tricky words. This counts the syllables in your text so you can check a line lands on the number you need.
Paste a word or line and it returns the syllable count.
Why English makes it hard
English spelling and pronunciation are notoriously irregular, so syllable counting is genuinely difficult — silent letters, words like fire that some say as one syllable and others as two, endings that may or may not add a beat. A counter gets the vast majority right by following the usual patterns, but for a borderline word it is worth trusting your ear too. For haiku and metre, it takes the guesswork out of the clear cases.
Frequently asked questions
What is syllable counting useful for?
Writing to a syllable count — haiku, limericks, lyrics, and poetry in strict metre.
Is it always exact?
It is right for the vast majority of words, but English is irregular, so trust your ear on genuinely borderline words.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The counting happens in your browser.