Haiku Builder
Write a haiku and see each line’s syllable count against 5-7-5, with how many syllables are missing or extra. Counts are estimates for English. How it works
Use the Haiku Builder
About the Haiku Builder
A 5-7-5 haiku has three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. The haiku builder counts each line as you type and shows, for example, "3/5 estimated, 2 more needed". The counts come from English spelling rules, so they are right for most everyday words; read names and unusual words aloud to check.
Syllable counts the builder gives
| Word | Syllables |
|---|---|
| fire | 1 |
| hour | 1 |
| every | 3 |
| poem | 2 |
| quiet | 2 |
| lion | 2 |
| flower | 2 |
| family | 3 |
| different | 3 |
| beautiful | 3 |
| chocolate | 2 |
| interesting | 4 |
| temperature | 4 |
| february | 4 |
| wednesday | 2 |
| orange | 2 |
| tired | 2 |
| realize | 3 |
| naïve | 2 |
| café | 2 |
| résumé | 3 |
| don't | 1 |
| isn't | 2 |
| haven't | 2 |
| I'll | 1 |
| it'll | 2 |
| would've | 2 |
For fire and hour the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary lists a two-syllable pronunciation first and a one-syllable one second; for interesting and temperature it lists a three-syllable one first and a four-syllable one later; résumé, spelled resume there, has the two-syllable verb first and the three-syllable noun third. Every other count here is the dictionary's first pronunciation.
Frequently asked questions
- How many syllables are in fire?
- The builder counts fire as 1, and hour as 1. The CMU Pronouncing Dictionary gives both words two pronunciations, one with two syllables (listed first) and one with one. If you say fire with two, the line has 1 more syllable than the count shows.
- Does a haiku have to be 5-7-5?
- No. The Haiku Society of America notes that a typical Japanese haiku has seventeen sound units (on) arranged five, seven and five, that most haiku in English have three lines of seventeen or fewer syllables, and that about twelve English syllables take as long to say as seventeen on. The builder checks the 5-7-5 count only.
- How accurate is the haiku syllable counter?
- Right for most everyday words. The misses are words that spelling does not predict: names, borrowed words and words people say two ways, such as fire and hour. A table of 307 words the rules get wrong, among them chocolate, wednesday and february, fixes the common ones. Each word shows its own count under the line, so you can see which one the builder reads differently from you. When a count looks off, clap the line out and trust your ear.
- How are contractions and accented words counted?
- A contraction is one word, with the ending counted where it is pronounced: don't 1, isn't 2, haven't 2, I'll 1, it'll 2, would've 2. Accents are folded and a final é is sounded: café 2, résumé 3, naïve 2.
- Why is a number in my line not counted?
- Digits are not scored, because 7 can be said as seven or as seventh. They are listed under the lines as not counted: 7 cats on a fence counts 4, while seven cats on a fence counts 6. Words in other alphabets are skipped the same way.
- Is my haiku saved?
- Yes, in this browser's storage under calcchef_haiku-builder, until you press Clear Saved Values. Each line holds up to 200 characters.
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