How to use Sentence Counter

Type or paste your text. The counts update as you type.

See how many sentences you have, your average sentence length and the longest sentence.

Set your limit. Sentences with more words than the limit are marked; the default is 25 words.

Choose Longest first or Over the limit to find the sentences to fix, and press Show in text to select one in your text.

Edit your text in the box and copy it when you’re done. Nothing you type leaves your device.

How it works

The tool splits your text into sentences and counts the words in each one, the same way the Word & Character Counter does, so both pages give the same numbers. Everything runs in your browser: nothing you type is uploaded.

Each sentence gets a bar that shows its length. The thin line across the bars is your limit, so the sentences that cross it are the ones to look at first.

Where a sentence ends

At a period, question mark, exclamation point or ellipsis followed by a space or the end of the text. Closing quotes and brackets stay with the sentence: "Stop." She left. is two sentences.
At a blank line between paragraphs.
At a line break when the next line starts with a capital letter, a number or a bullet. Headings and list items count as sentences of their own. A line that wraps in the middle of a sentence, like text copied from a PDF, doesn’t split it.

A period doesn’t end the sentence:

after a title or common abbreviation: Mr., Mrs., Dr., Prof., St., e.g., i.e., vs.
after an initial: J. K. Rowling
before a lowercase word: “5 p.m. today”, “she asked”
inside a number or a web address: 3.5, example.com
between an abbreviation and a number: No. 5, Fig. 3, Jan. 12

Why 25 words

GOV.UK, the UK government’s website, limits sentences to 25 words. Its writers cite research that readers understand more than 90% of a text when sentences average 14 words, and less than 10% when they average 43. Set your own limit if your style guide or teacher uses a different one.

A good average is lower than the limit: a mix of short and medium sentences reads well, while a run of long ones tires the reader.

How to shorten a long sentence

Split it where it changes topic. Look for “and”, “but”, “which”, “because” or a semicolon in the middle.
Give side notes their own sentence. Anything in brackets or between commas can usually stand alone.
Cut filler. “In order to” becomes “to”, “due to the fact that” becomes “because”.
Use a list. Three or more items in a row read better as bullet points.

For example, “When a sentence keeps going, adding one idea after another because the writer had more to say, readers lose the point” (21 words) becomes “Long sentences pile up ideas. Readers lose the point.” (9 words).

Questions

How long should a sentence be?

GOV.UK keeps sentences to 25 words or fewer. Its writers cite research that readers understand more than 90% of a text when sentences average 14 words, and less than 10% when they average 43. Mix short and medium sentences, and split the ones this tool marks.

How many sentences are in a paragraph?

There is no fixed number. A paragraph covers one idea, so it is as long as that idea needs. School essays often use 3 to 5 sentences per paragraph, and web pages use shorter paragraphs that are easier to read on a phone. The tool shows your average sentences per paragraph.

How do I count sentences in Microsoft Word?

Turn on readability statistics: File → Options → Proofing, then check "Show readability statistics" (on a Mac, Word → Preferences → Spelling & Grammar). Run a spelling and grammar check with F7. When it finishes, Word shows the number of sentences, sentences per paragraph and words per sentence.

Does Google Docs count sentences?

No. Tools → Word count shows pages, words and characters, but not sentences. Paste your text here to count them and see how long each one is.

How does the counter decide where a sentence ends?

A sentence ends at a period, question mark, exclamation point or ellipsis followed by a space, at a blank line, and at a line break before a capital letter or a list item. A period after a title or common abbreviation, like Mr., Dr. or e.g., doesn’t end the sentence, and neither does one inside a number or web address, like 3.5 or example.com.

How do I fix a sentence that is too long?

Split it where it changes topic, often at "and", "but", "which" or a semicolon. Move side notes in commas or brackets into their own sentence, cut filler like "in order to", and turn a list of three or more items into bullet points.

Updated October 13, 2026 · Works in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari · Runs entirely in your browser

Long sentences

Sentences