Free online sentence counter. Count the number of sentences in any text instantly. Useful for writing analysis, readability checks, and content editing.
Sentence counting is useful for assessing text complexity, calculating average sentence length, and checking readability. Short sentences are easier to read. Academic writing, legal documents, and technical writing often need to be checked for overly long or complex sentence structures.
Sentences are counted by detecting sentence-ending punctuation: periods, exclamation marks, and question marks. The counter handles common edge cases like abbreviations (Mr., U.S.A., etc.) and ellipses reasonably well.
Average sentence length is a key readability metric. The Flesch-Kincaid readability formula uses sentence length as a primary input. Most readability guides recommend keeping average sentence length under 20 words for web content aimed at general audiences.
Sentences are counted by detecting sentence-ending punctuation: periods (.), exclamation marks (!), and question marks (?). The counter attempts to handle common abbreviations like "Mr.", "U.S.A.", and "etc." to avoid overcounting, but complex cases may occasionally produce slight inaccuracies.
For general web content: 15-20 words per sentence. For academic writing: up to 25 words. For simplified or plain language content: under 15 words. The Hemingway Editor recommends sentences under 14 words as "easy to read" and flags sentences over 30 words as very difficult.
Punctuation inside quotation marks at the end of a sentence (e.g., He said, "Stop!") is handled correctly — it counts as the sentence-ending punctuation. Mid-sentence quotations with exclamation marks or question marks inside may occasionally be double-counted.