Sentence Counter
Count the sentences in your text, see average and longest sentence length in words, and flag sentences that are too long to read easily.
Count the sentences in your text and see how long they are. The counter splits at full stops, question marks and exclamation marks but skips the usual traps — titles like “Dr.”, abbreviations like “e.g.”, “p.m.” in the middle of a sentence and decimal numbers — then reports the average, longest and shortest sentence and flags any that run past your chosen length.
How to use this tool
- Paste your text into the box.
- Set the word count at which a sentence should be flagged as long (25 by default).
- Tick “Line breaks end sentences” for lists, headings or poems that have no full stops.
- Use the sentence table to find the longest sentences and decide which to split.
Formula
Average sentence length = total words ÷ number of sentences
A sentence ends at . ! ? or … followed by a space and a word that does not start in lower case, or at a blank line. A full stop after a title (Mr, Dr, Prof), after a single initial (J. K.) or inside abbreviations such as e.g. and i.e. does not end the sentence. Text without a final full stop still counts as a sentence.
Example
The sample text has 4 sentences and 48 words, an average of 12 words per sentence. “Dr.” and “a.m.” are not treated as sentence ends. One sentence is a question and one an exclamation. The last sentence, at 30 words, is the longest and the only one over the 25-word flag, so it is the one to consider splitting.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good average sentence length?
For general readers, plain-English guides often suggest an average of about 15–20 words, mixing short and longer sentences. Treat it as a guide rather than a rule; the long-sentence flag simply points you to candidates for splitting.
Why does my count differ from another tool?
Sentence boundaries are genuinely ambiguous. “She moved to the U.S. Then…” could be one sentence or two, and tools handle abbreviations differently. Check the table to see exactly where this counter split your text.
Are headings and bullet points counted?
A heading or bullet without a full stop is joined to the next sentence unless a blank line separates them. Tick “Line breaks end sentences” to count every line on its own.
Does it work in other languages?
The heuristic also recognizes 。？！ without a following space. It is not a language parser: lowercase starts, abbreviations and unusual punctuation can change boundaries. Check the table.
Last updated: 2026-10-30