Sentence Length Checker
Paste text to see how many sentences it has, the average and median sentence length and which sentences are longer than your limit, highlighted in context with navigation. A quick way to find passages that are hard to read.
This tool runs entirely in your browser.
How to use the Sentence Length Checker
- 1Paste your text.
- 2Set the word limit — 25 is a common guide for web writing; plain-language guides often suggest 20.
- 3Review the highlighted sentences one by one with Previous and Next, and check the longest five listed below.
What is the Sentence Length Checker?
Long sentences make readers hold more in their head before the point arrives. Style guides for plain writing suggest averaging 15–20 words per sentence and splitting anything much over 25–30 words, while still varying length so the text doesn’t become choppy. The average, the median and the distribution chart show whether long sentences are rare or a habit.
Sentences are found with rules: a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space and a capital letter, or a blank line. Common abbreviations (Dr., e.g., etc.), initials (J. R. R.) and decimals (3.5) are skipped. It’s a heuristic — unusual punctuation, lists or quotes can still split or join sentences, so treat the numbers as a guide.
In-depth guide
How Long Should a Sentence Be? Find and Fix Long Sentences →Frequently asked questions
What is a good sentence length?
An average of 15–20 words is easy to read for most audiences. Individual sentences can be longer, but more than 30 words is worth a second look.
How are words counted?
Runs of letters and numbers count as words; contractions and hyphenated words count once, and a decimal such as 3.50 is one word.
Why is a heading counted as a sentence?
Text followed by a blank line is treated as its own sentence. Headings and list items without full stops are counted the same way.
Is the Sentence Length Checker free and private?
Yes. The Sentence Length Checker is free, needs no account, and runs entirely in your browser. What you type is never sent to a server or stored.
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