Syllable counter for poems, haiku, and lyrics
Paste a poem, a haiku, or song lyrics and see how many syllables each word and each line has.
Words missing from the dictionary get a rule-based estimate marked with ~, so read those lines aloud before you trust the count. It all runs in your browser: your text is never uploaded.
Example input and result
Cold rain on the roof the kettle starts to whistle nobody gets up
Result
Syllables: 17 Words: 13 Syllables per word (average): 1.31 Lines: 3 Line Syllables Words (syllables) 1 5 Cold (1) rain (1) on (1) the (1) roof (1) 2 7 the (1) kettle (2) starts (1) to (1) whistle (2) 3 5 nobody (3) gets (1) up (1)
How the syllable counter works
Type or paste your text and the syllable counter checks every word as you go. Each word shows its own count, and a table lists each line of your text with its own total. Your line breaks decide where a line ends, so paste a poem or a song with one line per row and it keeps its shape. At the top you get three numbers for the whole text:
- Syllables: the total for every word in the text
- Words: how many words it found
- Average: syllables per word, a quick sign of how plain or complex the wording is
Where the syllable counts come from
Most counts come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, a list of about 124,000 English words and their pronunciations from Carnegie Mellon University. Because it records how words are said, not how they're spelled, it knows that “queue” has 1 syllable and “area” has 3, which spelling rules alone tend to get wrong.
Words that aren't in the dictionary, like new slang, rare names, or typos, get an estimate based on spelling rules. Those counts are marked with “~”, so “~2” means “probably 2”. A few words, like “fire” or “every”, are said with a different number of syllables by different speakers, so trust your ear on those too.
Check a haiku line by line
A classic English haiku follows 5-7-5: five syllables, then seven, then five. Write each line on its own line in the box and the per-line table shows whether the pattern holds. This haiku comes out right:
- Cold rain on the roof: 5
- the kettle starts to whistle: 7
- nobody gets up: 5
Syllables in poems and song lyrics
Meter in a poem and rhythm in a song both depend on syllables. Compare lines that should match, like the two lines of a couplet or two verses sung to the same tune, and look for the one that's off. If a line comes out at 6 where you wanted 5, the word counts show where to cut: swap a two-syllable word for a one-syllable one, or drop a “the”.
The counter goes by dictionary pronunciation. Singers often squeeze or stretch words, like “ev'ry” for “every”, so treat the count as a starting point, not a verdict on how the line will sound when it's sung.
What the syllable counter doesn't do
This English tool counts syllables but doesn't show where to split a word, so it won't give you “wa-ter” or hyphenation points for a line break. It also doesn't mark stressed syllables, so it can't tell you whether a line is in iambic meter.
The Spanish version of the page works differently: it splits Spanish words into syllables with Spanish spelling rules. Switch the page to Spanish under “Languages” if that's what you need. Both versions run in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How many syllables are in a haiku?
A classic English haiku has 17 syllables in three lines: 5, then 7, then 5. Write each line on its own line in the box and the per-line table shows whether yours fits. Plenty of poets bend that count, so treat 5-7-5 as a guide, not a rule.
What does the ~ next to a count mean?
It marks an estimate. The word isn't in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, so the counter guessed its syllables from spelling rules instead. Estimates are usually close but can be off for names, slang, and borrowed words, so say those words aloud to check.
Why does the count differ from how I say a word?
The counter uses one dictionary pronunciation per word, and people don't all speak alike. Words like fire, every, or family get 1 or 2, 2 or 3, and 2 or 3 syllables depending on the speaker. Trust your own reading for a poem or a song.
Can it split English words into syllables?
No. The English version counts syllables per word and per line but doesn't show where a word splits, so you won't get wa-ter or hyphenation points. The Spanish version of the page does split Spanish words, using Spanish spelling rules.
What is the average syllables per word for?
It's a quick sign of how plain your wording is. Text built from short words like get, go, and help stays low, while writing full of long words like information or responsibility climbs higher. Compare two drafts to see which one reads more simply.