How to use the syllable counter

1. Type or paste English text. Put each poem line on its own line.
2. Read the total and the individual line counts. Choose Haiku or Tanka to compare a pattern.
3. Check estimated words and alternate pronunciations in Word notes. Change a count to use your pronunciation throughout the draft.
4. Choose Copy report to copy totals, lines, and word counts.

How counts are produced

The bundled CMUdict pronunciation dictionary covers 126,045 distinct entries. The counter counts stress-marked vowel sounds in ARPAbet pronunciations. When several pronunciations have different syllable counts, it uses the lowest count initially and shows the other counts in Word notes. This is a counting tool, rather than a syllable-boundary or hyphenation tool.

Unknown terms use English spelling rules and a small exception list. These counts are labeled Estimated. Names, invented words, regional accents and non-English text need a manual check. Digit sequences and symbols do not count as words; spell a number out when its spoken count matters.

Limits and recovery

Use up to 50,000 characters. The Word notes panel displays the first 250 distinct words; the totals and copied report cover the full input. Corrections last for this tab only. Clear keeps one text draft for Restore previous text. Reloading removes the draft and corrections.

If SY01 appears, dictionary loading failed. Check your connection and choose Retry dictionary. You can still use clearly labeled estimates. SY02 means your input exceeds the limit; reduce its length without reloading.

English 5–7–5 haiku is a useful writing pattern; Japanese haiku counts morae, which do not map exactly to English syllables.

CMUdict license · Dictionary version

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