How many verses are there in the Qur’an?

The term “verse” (āyah) in the Qur’an refers to a letter, word, sentence, or group of sentences with a clear beginning and end that make up the surahs. All copies of the Qur’an written from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) to the present are identical and have been transmitted without any alteration. However, until the second half of the first century AH, the Qur’an did not contain diacritical marks, vowel signs, or pause (waqf) symbols. In later periods, based on the recitation transmitted from the Prophet, diacritical marks and vowel signs were added to the letters, and pause symbols and verse numbers were placed at the end of verses.

There have been partial differences of opinion regarding the total number of verses in the Qur’an, such as 6204, 6214, 6219, 6225, and 6236. These differences arise from whether the basmala at the beginning of surahs is counted as a verse, whether the “disjointed letters” (ḥurūf al-muqattaʿa) are considered independent verses, and differing views on the starting and ending points of a small number of verses. In addition, although there is no concrete determination, the number 6666 has become widespread as an approximate figure in common parlance. However, the total number of verses in the copies of the Qur’an written for centuries is 6236. As seen, the different counts of verses stem from the reasons mentioned above and do not indicate any addition or omission in the Qur’anic text.

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu