A free syllable counter for lyrics. Count every line as you write.
Type or paste your lyrics. Every line gets its syllable count, and a line that does not match the line it pairs with shows by how many, so you catch the one that runs long before you sing it.
Couplets checks line 1 against line 2 and line 3 against line 4. Verses checks each verse line by line against the one before. Leave a blank line between verses, and put a part's name in square brackets, like [Chorus], on its own line. Your draft stays in this browser.
It counts the sound, not the letters.
Each word is looked up in a pronouncing dictionary and counted by its vowel sounds. Then every line is checked against the line it should match.
As you type.
Every line gets its count in the margin, and the count changes with each key you press. There is no button to press first.
Sound, not spelling.
Each word is looked up in the CMU pronouncing dictionary, about 30,000 English words, and counted by its vowel sounds. So "quiet" is 2 and "whole" is 1, whatever the letters suggest.
The shorter reading.
Where the dictionary lists two pronunciations, the counter takes the shorter one: "fire" counts 1 and "every" counts 2. If you sing "fi-er", add one.
Spelling for the rest.
A word the dictionary lacks, like a name or slang, is counted by its groups of vowels, with a silent e at the end left out. "Vibin'" counts 2. It can come up one short where two vowels sit together: "doin'" counts 1.
Lines that should match.
Couplets checks line 1 against line 2 and line 3 against line 4. Verses checks each verse line by line against the verse before it. A flagged line shows the difference: +2 means two syllables more than the line it is checked against.
Labels and blank lines.
A blank line starts a new part. A name in square brackets on its own line, like [Chorus], labels the part and is not counted. In Verses, a part is checked against the last part with the same name, so Verse 2 skips the chorus and lines up with Verse 1.
Your lyrics, next to the beat.
Lyriquee is our lyric plugin, an add-on that opens inside your music software. Drop it on a track and your lyrics sit in the session, with the rhymes coloured as you write.
Saves with the project
The lyrics live in the session file. Open it next year and they are there.
Follows the song
The sheet scrolls with the song while you record, so you never look away from the take.
Any VST3 host
FL Studio, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reaper, Cubase, Bitwig and the rest.
How do you count syllables?
A syllable is one beat of a word, built around one vowel sound. "Make" has one, "heaven" has two, "yesterday" has three. To count a line, say it out loud at the speed you would sing it and count the beats.
- Step 1
Clap it
Say the word out loud and clap once for each beat. "Remember" gets three claps: re, mem, ber.
- Step 2
Feel your jaw
Rest a hand under your chin. Your jaw drops once for every syllable. Say "beautiful" slowly and it drops three times.
- Step 3
Count sounds, not letters
"Make" has two vowel letters and one vowel sound, so it is one syllable. "Poem" has two vowel letters side by side and two sounds, po and em.
Words with two answers
"Fire" is one syllable or two, and "every" is two or three, depending on who says it. Neither is wrong. The counter takes the shorter one, so count the way you sing it and trust your ear over the number.
Why lines should match
Two lines that pair up in a song are usually sung over the same stretch of music. If one has more syllables than its partner, you rush it to fit. If it has fewer, you stretch a word to fill the gap. Here the second line runs two over:
8I left the light on in the hall10in case you found your way back home tonight
Cut two syllables and the pair sits even:
8I left the light on in the hall8in case you came back home at all
Across verses
The first line of verse 2 is usually sung to the same melody as the first line of verse 1, so it wants about the same count. Switch the counter to Verses and every line is checked against its twin in the verse before. It does not have to match exactly. Plenty of songs squeeze an extra syllable in and sing it faster. A flagged line is a place to listen again.
Questions people ask.
- Is it free?
- Yes. No account, no limit, nothing to install. It runs in your browser.
- Do you keep my lyrics?
- No. Your draft is saved in this browser's local storage on this device, so it is here when you come back, and nothing is sent to us.
- A count looks wrong. Why?
- The counter gives the spoken count, and where a word has two pronunciations it takes the shorter one. Singers stretch and squeeze words, so your count can differ. Names, slang and made-up words are counted by spelling, which can be one off. Go with your ear.
- Do matching lines need the exact same count?
- No. A flag means the two lines differ, not that one is wrong. Sing both over the music. If the long one feels rushed, trim it.
- How are numbers counted?
- A number counts as one syllable, however long it is. Write it out as words, "twenty-four" instead of "24", and it counts right.
- Does it work in other languages?
- Roughly. A word outside the English dictionary is counted by its groups of vowels, so Spanish "corazón" counts 3 and "canción" counts 2. It knows no rules for other languages, so check by ear.
- Can it show which lines rhyme?
- Not this page. The free rhyme highlighter colours the rhymes in a verse, syllable by syllable, as you type.
- Can I write in my music software instead?
- Lyriquee puts a lyric sheet on a track in FL Studio, Ableton and any music software that loads VST3 plugins. The lyrics save in the project, the rhymes are coloured, and the sheet scrolls with the song while you record. It has no syllable counter; this page does that.
Write it where you record it.
A lyric sheet on the track, saved with the project, that scrolls with the song while you record.