How to check your paragraphs
- Paste your essay, article or email into the box. Start each paragraph on a new line; blank lines between them are fine.
- Read the summary: number of paragraphs, total sentences and the average sentences and words per paragraph.
- Scan the table. Each paragraph shows its first words, its sentence and word count, and whether it falls inside the Digital.gov range of 3–8 sentences and 150 words.
- Split paragraphs marked as long, and develop or merge the ones marked as short if they leave an idea unfinished.
Paragraph length guidelines
Style guides give different numbers because they write for different readers. Here is what each source actually says:
| Source | Sentences | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Digital.gov plain language guide | 3 to 8 | No more than 150; never more than 250 |
| GOV.UK writing guidelines | No more than 5 | Split sentences over 25 words |
| Purdue OWL | Be wary of paragraphs with only 2 or 3 sentences | No set length; break up long or complex material |
| UNC Writing Center | No minimum: “at least five sentences” is a myth, and some journalistic styles use one-sentence paragraphs | Length does not decide what a paragraph is |
The common thread is unity: every sentence in a paragraph should support one controlling idea, usually stated in a topic sentence near the start. Use the numbers as warning lights, not as rules.
How many sentences make a paragraph in an essay?
Body paragraphs
A body paragraph needs a topic sentence, enough evidence or explanation to support it, and often a sentence that links back to the thesis. Purdue OWL notes that two or three sentences are rarely enough for that, which is why the analyzer marks them as short.
Introductions and conclusions
There is no fixed number of sentences in a conclusion or an introduction. Purdue OWL advises starting both in a new paragraph and notes that many run to several paragraphs, depending on the length of the paper.
How many sentences in a thesis statement?
One, in most cases. The UNC Writing Center describes the thesis as “usually a single sentence” near the beginning of the paper, most often at the end of the first paragraph (UNC, Thesis Statements).
How long is 1 paragraph, and how many words are in a sentence?
In words, a paragraph of up to 150 words follows the Digital.gov advice; in sentences, GOV.UK suggests splitting any sentence longer than 25 words. If your average sentence length is far above that, the sentence counter will point out your longest sentences so you can shorten them first.
How many paragraphs is 500 words?
The table assumes paragraphs of 100 to 150 words. That is our assumption for estimating, not a standard; essays with long paragraphs need fewer, and web articles with short ones need more.
| Words | Paragraphs (100–150 words each) |
|---|---|
| 250 | 2–3 |
| 500 | 3–5 |
| 750 | 5–8 |
| 1,000 | 7–10 |
| 1,500 | 10–15 |
| 2,000 | 13–20 |
| 3,000 | 20–30 |
Example
This paragraph has 3 sentences and 35 words:
Short sentences are easy to read. They keep one idea each. Longer sentences, on the other hand, can carry several linked ideas, but readers may lose track of the subject before they reach the end.
It sits inside the guideline range, but its third sentence alone has 24 words, close to the 25-word point where GOV.UK suggests splitting. Breaking it in two would give 4 sentences and the same 35 words.