Paragraph counter
Count the paragraphs in your text and see the words, characters, and sentences in each one.
By default a paragraph ends at a blank line. If your text separates paragraphs with a single Enter, switch the rule under “More options”. It all runs in your browser: your text is never uploaded.
Example input and result
First line Continued paragraph Second paragraph.
Result
Paragraphs: 2 Words: 6 Average words per unit: 3 Longest unit (words): 4 No. Words Characters Sentences Text 1 4 30 2 First line Continued paragraph 2 2 17 1 Second paragraph.
Two ways to count paragraphs
Open “More options” and pick a rule in “Count as a paragraph”. “Separated by blank lines” is the default and treats each block of text between empty lines as one paragraph. “Every nonempty line” counts each line that has text on it, which fits text pasted from apps that end a paragraph with a single line break.
Take a short letter: “Dear Grandma,” on its own line, a blank line, a middle paragraph of three sentences (“The park was lovely. We played games all day. I won.”), another blank line, and then “I miss you.”, “Love,” and “Sam” on three separate lines. The two rules read the same letter in different ways:
- Separated by blank lines: 3 paragraphs, with 11 words in the longest one
- Every nonempty line: 5 paragraphs, since “I miss you.”, “Love,” and “Sam” each count on their own
What the paragraph report shows
The totals read “Paragraphs”, “Words”, “Average words per unit”, which here is the average number of words per paragraph, and “Longest unit (words)”. Then a table lists each paragraph with its number, words, characters, sentences, and full text. Inside a paragraph, each line break also closes a sentence, so a three-line sign-off counts as 3 sentences.
The table shows the first 200 paragraphs. “Copy result” and “Download TXT” carry the full report, one row per paragraph with tabs between the columns, ready for a spreadsheet. Unlike the sentence counter, this tool doesn't highlight long rows, so sort the spreadsheet by the Words column if you want the longest paragraphs on top.
Why pasted text gives a different paragraph count
Apps don't agree on how to mark a paragraph. Some paste a blank line between paragraphs, others a single line break, and some web pages add both. If the default rule gives you 1 paragraph for a text that has several, switch to “Every nonempty line” and the count should match the paragraphs you see on screen.
A few things never change the count. A long line that wraps on your screen is still one line, because only a real Enter breaks it. Lines holding only spaces or tabs count as empty, and several blank lines in a row don't create empty paragraphs. Line breaks from a computer or a phone read the same way.
Where a paragraph count helps
Teachers often grade structure as well as content, and long blocks of text are hard to read on a phone. The paragraph count and the longest-paragraph number tell you both things at a glance, before you hand in an assignment or publish a post. These are some situations where the counter saves you from counting by hand:
- A five-paragraph essay: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion
- Blog posts and emails, where a paragraph past 100 words is a candidate for splitting
- Counting the items in a list, one per line, with “Every nonempty line”
- Cover letters and applications that ask for a set number of paragraphs
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a paragraph?
By default, any block of text between blank lines. Under “More options” you can switch to “Every nonempty line”, which counts each line that has text. Under both rules, a line with only spaces or tabs counts as empty, and a line that wraps on screen stays one line.
Can I count the lines in a list?
Yes. Choose “Every nonempty line” under “More options” and each line with text counts once, while empty lines are skipped. A list of 30 names with a few blank lines in between still reads 30, and the table shows every name with its own row.
How many sentences should a paragraph have?
There's no single rule, since it depends on the assignment and the style guide you follow. The Sentences column in the report shows how many each paragraph has, so you can compare with what your teacher asks for and split any paragraph that runs long.
Why does one paragraph count as several?
That happens with “Every nonempty line”, which counts each line on its own. If your paragraph has line breaks inside it, switch back to “Separated by blank lines” and it counts as one. A line that only wraps on screen never splits a paragraph under either rule.
Is there a length limit?
The box takes up to 50,000 characters. If you paste a longer text, only what fits stays in the box and the count covers that first part, so split long documents into sections, count each one, and add the results together.