Verb Counter
Count and highlight the verbs in your text, with a weak-verb signal.
Paste your text to count and highlight its verbs instantly. You'll see the total number of verbs, the verb density (verbs as a share of all words), and how many are weak "to be" verbs you might replace with stronger action verbs.
Everything runs locally in your browser — your text is never uploaded. Verb detection is automatic, so it's a strong guide rather than a perfect grammatical analysis.
How verb detection works
VerbCount identifies verbs using an on-device natural-language model that tags each word's part of speech from its form and the words around it — entirely in your browser, with nothing sent to a server. Linked verb phrases such as "is running" are counted as a single verb.
Automatic part-of-speech tagging is never perfect. Words that can be either a noun or a verb — "run", "love", "report", "text" — are sometimes mis-tagged depending on context. Treat the verb count and highlights as a reliable guide for editing, not an exact grammatical grade.
Why count verbs?
Strong, specific verbs make writing clearer and more vivid, while a high share of "to be" verbs (is, are, was, were) and weak verbs often signals sentences you can tighten. Writers use the verb count to self-edit, students and teachers use it to study grammar, and editors use it to spot flabby, passive-leaning prose. Pair it with the Readability Checker for a fuller picture of style.
Examples
| Example | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Action verbs | She writes, edits, and publishes daily. | 3 verbs highlighted |
| Weak verbs | The report is good and was helpful. | Flags "is", "was" |
| Verb density | A 200-word paragraph | Verbs ÷ words, as % |
Frequently asked questions
How does the verb counter find verbs?
It uses an on-device natural-language model (the open-source compromise library) to tag the part of speech of each word from its form and context. All of it runs in your browser.
Is the verb detection 100% accurate?
No. Automatic tagging is very good for normal prose but can mis-tag ambiguous words that work as both nouns and verbs (like "run" or "report"). Use it as a strong guide rather than a grammar grade.
What is a good verb density?
There's no fixed target, but vivid writing tends to lean on specific action verbs. If most of your verbs are "to be" forms, that's often a sign to rewrite with stronger verbs.
Does my text stay private?
Yes. The language model and all analysis run locally in your browser; your text is never uploaded, logged, or stored.