Short answer
The Quran has 114 surahs and 6,236 ayat (verses) in the Kufan count used in most printed copies. It has roughly 77,000 to 78,000 words; the exact figure depends on how words joined in Arabic writing are counted. It is divided into 30 juz of about equal length.
This is a matter of fact, not a ruling. The differences between the classical ayah counts (such as 6,236 or 6,204) come from where an ayah is said to end, not from any difference in the text, which is the same in every count.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
- Surahs: 114. The longest is al-Baqarah with 286 ayat; the shortest is al-Kawthar with 3.
- Ayat: 6,236 in the Kufan count, which goes back to Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami from Ali. This is the count in the Hafs mushaf printed in Madinah and used on AmalKit.
- Words: about 77,000 to 78,000. Classical counts are usually given as just over 77,400. Counting the standard Uthmani text on AmalKit, separating only by spaces, gives about 77,900, because some short particles are written as separate words.
- Juz: 30 parts, each split into two hizb, used to plan daily reading and taraweeh.
- Sajdah ayat: 14 in the Hanafi count. See sajdah tilawat.
Why the ayah counts differ. The early schools of Madinah, Makkah, Basra, Damascus and Kufa each passed down where the Prophet ﷺ paused between ayat. In a few places one school counts a pause as the end of an ayah and another does not. The words are identical; only the numbering differs. That is why older books give totals like 6,204, 6,214 or 6,236.
A common myth: the number 6,666 is often quoted, but no classical count gives it.
The Quran's text was preserved in writing and memory from the start (15:9). To read it, see the surah list, the 30 juz and Quran facts.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Hijr 15:9
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ ﴿٩﴾
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
Allah promised to preserve the Quran's text.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.