Free browser tool · songwriting

Lyrics word &syllable counter

Paste a verse and see words, characters and syllables — per line and in total — so your second verse actually fits the melody of the first.

27
Words
32
Syllables
4
Lines
129
Characters

Per line

  • 1I wrote this line at half past two8w · 8syl
  • 2And sang it back to nobody6w · 8syl
  • 3The second verse should fit it too7w · 8syl
  • 4Or else the melody feels crowded6w · 8syl

Want this inside your DAW, synced to the song?

This free web tool scrolls on a timer. LyricsRunnerVST is a VST3 plugin that scrolls your lyrics in perfect sync with the playhead in Cubase, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, FL Studio, Studio One, REAPER and Cakewalk — so the singer always reads the next line at exactly the right moment.

See how the plugin works

Matching syllables between verses

Melody is rhythm before it is pitch. When verse one has eight syllables in a line and verse two has eleven, you either rush the words or rewrite the melody — and rushing is what makes an otherwise good second verse sound amateur.

The quickest fix is mechanical: put both verses side by side, compare the syllable count line by line, and edit the longer lines down. Contractions, cutting filler adjectives and swapping three-syllable words for one-syllable ones usually gets you there without losing meaning.

From page to microphone

Once the words fit, the next bottleneck is reading them while you sing. Most singers end up squinting at a phone or a printed page, pausing playback every few bars to find their place.

LyricsRunnerVST removes that step: it loads in your DAW as a VST3 plugin and scrolls the lyric sheet in sync with the playhead, so you can track a full pass of a brand-new verse without stopping.

FAQ

How does the syllable counter work?

It uses the standard vowel-group method: syllables are estimated by counting vowel clusters and adjusting for silent endings. It matches human counting for the vast majority of English words, but always trust your ear over the number.

Why does syllable count matter in songwriting?

A melody has a fixed number of strong beats. If verse two has three more syllables than verse one, the phrase will feel crammed. Matching syllable counts line by line is the fastest way to make a second verse sing as well as the first.

Is anything saved or uploaded?

No. All counting happens locally in your browser and nothing is stored.