counter-word

Paragraph counter

Paragraphs are counted as blocks separated by a blank line: the same rule your word processor uses when it exports.

Your text
Structure

Numbers appear here once you add text.

How paragraphs are detected

A paragraph is a run of text with a blank line before and after it. A single line break inside a block does not start a new paragraph, which matches how Word, Google Docs and every publishing system behave when they export.

If you paste from a PDF, every visual line may arrive as its own block and the count will be far higher than the document really contains. The line count in the panel will make that obvious: when lines and paragraphs are nearly equal, the paste carried hard line breaks.

Paragraph length by medium

There is no correct paragraph length, only lengths appropriate to where the reader is.

MediumTypical paragraphWhy
Mobile web / blog40–60 words, 2–3 sentencesNarrow column, scrolling reader
Email newsletter30–50 wordsScanned, not read
Print journalism25–40 wordsNarrow columns
Academic essay100–200 wordsOne developed idea per paragraph
Technical documentation50–80 wordsReference, not narrative

The rule underneath all of these is one idea per paragraph. Length follows from how much the idea needs, and the medium sets how much patience the reader brings.

Common questions

Does a single line break start a new paragraph?

No. You need a blank line — that is, two consecutive line breaks. A single break is treated as a line within the same paragraph, so the count matches what your document exports.

Why does my pasted text show far too many paragraphs?

The source carried hard line breaks at the end of every visual line, which is common when copying from a PDF or a plain-text email. Removing the stray breaks before pasting will fix the count.

Related tools