Syllable Counter

Overview

Syllable Counter works by analyzing text word-by-word using the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary to count syllables based on phonetic data. For unknown words, it uses rule-based syllable counting. Maximum text length is 500 characters.

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/syllablecounter \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
}'

const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/syllablecounter', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
}),
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/syllablecounter",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    json={
    "text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	body := strings.NewReader(`{
  "text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/syllablecounter", body)
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

Parameters

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog",
    "total_syllables": 11,
    "word_count": 9,
    "average_syllables_per_word": 1.22,
    "words": [
      {
        "word": "the",
        "syllables": 1
      },
      {
        "word": "quick",
        "syllables": 1
      },
      {
        "word": "brown",
        "syllables": 1
      },
      {
        "word": "fox",
        "syllables": 1
      },
      {
        "word": "jumps",
        "syllables": 1
      },
      {
        "word": "over",
        "syllables": 2
      },
      {
        "word": "the",
        "syllables": 1
      },
      {
        "word": "lazy",
        "syllables": 2
      },
      {
        "word": "dog",
        "syllables": 1
      }
    ]
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Use cases

Readability Analysis

Calculate syllable counts for readability scores like Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease

Poetry & Lyrics

Verify syllable counts in poetry, song lyrics, and haiku to match required meters and structures

Education

Create educational materials with appropriate syllable complexity for different reading levels

Content Optimization

Analyze content syllable counts to adjust writing complexity for target audiences

Other ways to use Syllable Counter

Set up Syllable Counter on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Related

More in Text Processing: