How it works
Paste or type and this paragraph counter shows 5 counts as you go: paragraphs, sentences, words, characters and lines. A paragraph is any line that holds some text, so blank lines never count. It doubles as a sentences counter that knows Dr. and 5 p.m. do not end a sentence. The text stays in your browser.
Read the full guide
Paste, read the large number, set a target
The box opens with a five-paragraph essay outline. Replace it with your own text and every number follows each keystroke. Paragraphs is the large number and Sentences stands next to it. The sample reads 5 paragraphs, 15 sentences, 114 words, 616 characters and 9 lines. If a brief names a number of paragraphs, type it into Limit for paragraphs and the bar fills as you write.
What counts as a paragraph here
A paragraph is every line that holds some text. Blank lines are ignored, so three blocks are 3 paragraphs whether one blank line, four or none stand between them. A line of nothing but spaces is blank too. A heading is a paragraph, and so is each item of a bulleted list. Lines is the stricter number: it counts every line, empty or not, so those three blocks with a blank line between each show 5 lines.
Where a sentence ends, and where it does not
Sentences come from the rules your browser carries for English, and the page then reads the pieces a second time. Dr., Mr., Mrs., Prof. and St. do not end a sentence. Neither do ranks such as Gen. and Capt., initials before a name, U.S., a decimal point or 5 p.m. in mid-sentence. Every line end closes a sentence, so a heading with no full stop counts as one. Two misses are known: a sentence that really ends in p.m. joins the next, and a quoted question counts on its own even when she asked follows it.
Tips
- Writing to a brief that says five paragraphs? Put 5 in the limit box. The line beside the bar reads 2 left, then Right on the limit, then 1 over.
- A count that looks far too high usually means a hard break at the end of every line. Run the text through remove line breaks with Keep paragraphs on, then paste it back.
- For an average sentence length, divide the word count by the sentence count. The page gives no verdict on whether your sentences are too long.
- Headings, captions, list items and a signature all count as paragraphs and as sentences. To count the body of an essay only, paste the body only.
- A blank line filled with an invisible character counts as a paragraph, because U+2800 Braille pattern blank is not a space. A caption spaced out with invisible characters counts one extra per filled line.
Questions and answers
How does the paragraph counter decide what a paragraph is?
It splits the text at every line break and counts the lines that hold something other than spaces, the rule word processors use. The blank line between blocks is optional: three blocks split by single breaks count 3, the same as with blank lines between them. All eight kinds of line break that Unicode defines are recognised.
What is the difference between paragraphs and lines?
Lines counts every line, empty ones included. Paragraphs counts only the lines with text on them. Five paragraphs with a blank line between each show 5 paragraphs and 9 lines. When the two numbers match, the text has no blank lines at all: normal for a list, a warning sign for an essay.
Does it work as a sentence counter as well?
Yes. The sentence count stands next to the paragraph count and moves as you type. A sentence ends at a full stop, a question mark, an exclamation mark or a line end, and the full stops in Dr. Marsh, U.S., 4.5 and H. G. Wells are passed over. The limit bar follows paragraphs only.
Why is my paragraph count so much higher than I expected?
The text almost certainly has a line break at the end of every line, not only after every paragraph. Text copied from an e-mail or a PDF often does, and each line then counts as a paragraph and a sentence. A short e-mail of 2 paragraphs and 3 sentences, wrapped over five lines, reads 5 and 6 here. With its lines joined it reads 2 and 3.
Why does a quoted question count as two sentences?
The sentence rules browsers follow come from Unicode's annex on text segmentation. They give a full stop a second look: it ends nothing when a small letter or a digit follows. A question mark or an exclamation mark gets no second look. So "Is it done?" she asked. counts 2, while The desk is 4.5 metres away. counts 1.