Sentence & Paragraph Counter
Paste your text and get live counts of sentences, words, paragraphs, and characters, plus reading and speaking time estimates. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Reading time assumes 200 words per minute (silent reading); speaking time assumes 130 words per minute, the pace of a comfortable talk or voiceover.
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Why count sentences at all
Sentence count is a fast proxy for pacing. A 600-word section with 12 sentences reads very differently from one with 40, and editors use the ratio (average words per sentence) to spot walls of text before readers hit them. Teachers and students use the same counts to check essay requirements, and writers use reading time to size an article for its slot.
How the counting works
Sentences are split on terminal punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation points), words on whitespace, and paragraphs on line breaks. Reading time assumes 200 words per minute and speaking time 130, the standard planning figures for silent reading and presentations. Abbreviations like "e.g." can register as sentence breaks, so treat the count as a close estimate rather than a grammar-checked figure.
From counting to quality
Counts describe length; they say nothing about clarity. Once the numbers look right, run the same text through the readability checker to get Flesch scores and a grade level, and through the keyword density checker if the piece targets a search term.
Frequently asked questions
A typical paragraph runs 3 to 5 sentences, enough to state a point, support it, and transition. Web writing trends shorter: 1-to-3-sentence paragraphs are normal on-screen because dense blocks push readers away. There is no grammatical rule; a single-sentence paragraph is valid when the emphasis calls for it.
A 500-word essay usually lands between 25 and 40 sentences, assuming an average sentence of 13 to 20 words. Divide your word target by your typical sentence length for a working estimate, then let the argument, not the count, decide the final number.
About 90 seconds of silent reading at the average pace of 200 words per minute, or roughly 2 minutes 20 seconds when read aloud at 130 words per minute. Paste your text above to get the exact estimate for your word count.
The counter splits on periods, question marks, and exclamation points, which handles normal prose well. Abbreviations, decimal numbers, and ellipses can add or hide a break, so expect the count to sit within a sentence or two of a hand count on technical text.
No, your text is not stored. Counting runs entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded or logged, so drafts and client work stay private.
The other half
This tool is one step. Essel runs the pipeline.
Essel researches the keywords you can win, writes GEO-optimized articles grounded in your brand, and publishes them on a cadence — autonomously, so you don't have to.
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