Can abbreviations throw off the sentence count?

Yes, since sentence detection relies on punctuation like periods, an abbreviation such as “Dr.” or a decimal number like “3.14” can occasionally be miscounted as a sentence break.

What's a good average sentence length for web content?

Roughly 12 to 18 words per sentence is a common target for general web and marketing copy, balancing readability with natural variation.

Why does sentence length matter for readability?

Average sentence length is a core input to most readability formulas, since consistently long sentences tend to be harder to parse and retain than shorter, more varied ones.

Sentence Counter

Analyze your text sentence by sentence — count, length, and structure at a glance.

Your Text

Sentences

Words

Characters

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Avg words / sentence

How to Use

Paste or type your text into the input box — all statistics update instantly.
See your sentence count, word count, character count, and average sentence length.
The Sentence View panel shows each sentence individually — hover over any sentence to highlight it. The longest sentence is outlined in red, the shortest in green.
Click Copy Stats to copy a summary of all counts to the clipboard.

About this Sentence Counter

Sentence count and average sentence length are two of the simplest, most useful readability signals in a piece of writing — short average sentences generally read as clear and punchy, while consistently long sentences can feel dense or hard to follow.

How sentences are detected

Sentence counting works by splitting text at sentence-ending punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation points), which is straightforward for standard prose but can miscount text containing abbreviations ("Dr. Smith"), decimal numbers ("3.14"), or ellipses, since a period doesn't always mark the true end of a sentence in those cases.

What average sentence length signals

Average sentence length is a proxy for reading difficulty used in most readability formulas (like Flesch-Kincaid). Academic and legal writing often runs 20+ words per sentence; general web content and marketing copy typically aims for 12–18 words per sentence for easier scanning; children's or highly accessible content often stays under 10 words per sentence.

Where this matters

Checking whether a draft is varied in rhythm or falls into a monotonous pattern of similar-length sentences
Reviewing web copy for readability before publishing
Meeting length or complexity requirements for school writing assignments