diff --git a/src/algebra/category/Mon/adjunctions.lean b/src/algebra/category/Mon/adjunctions.lean
index a5444e80fbeee..2b766727588f3 100644
--- a/src/algebra/category/Mon/adjunctions.lean
+++ b/src/algebra/category/Mon/adjunctions.lean
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Authors: Julian Kuelshammer
 import algebra.category.Mon.basic
 import algebra.category.Semigroup.basic
 import algebra.group.with_one
-import algebra.free_monoid
+import algebra.free_monoid.basic
 
 /-!
 # Adjunctions regarding the category of monoids
diff --git a/src/algebra/free_monoid.lean b/src/algebra/free_monoid/basic.lean
similarity index 100%
rename from src/algebra/free_monoid.lean
rename to src/algebra/free_monoid/basic.lean
diff --git a/src/algebra/free_monoid/count.lean b/src/algebra/free_monoid/count.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f526f01c6b861
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/algebra/free_monoid/count.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2022 Yury Kudryashov. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Yury Kudryashov
+-/
+import algebra.free_monoid.basic
+import data.list.count
+
+/-!
+# `list.count` as a bundled homomorphism
+
+In this file we define `free_monoid.countp`, `free_monoid.count`, `free_add_monoid.countp`, and
+`free_add_monoid.count`. These are `list.countp` and `list.count` bundled as multiplicative and
+additive homomorphisms from `free_monoid` and `free_add_monoid`.
+
+We do not use `to_additive` because it can't map `multiplicative ℕ` to `ℕ`.
+-/
+
+variables {α : Type*} (p : α → Prop) [decidable_pred p]
+
+namespace free_add_monoid
+
+/-- `list.countp` as a bundled additive monoid homomorphism. -/
+def countp (p : α → Prop) [decidable_pred p] : free_add_monoid α →+ ℕ :=
+⟨list.countp p, list.countp_nil p, list.countp_append _⟩
+
+lemma countp_of (x : α) : countp p (of x) = if p x then 1 else 0 := rfl
+
+lemma countp_apply (l : free_add_monoid α) : countp p l = list.countp p l := rfl
+
+/-- `list.count` as a bundled additive monoid homomorphism. -/
+def count [decidable_eq α] (x : α) : free_add_monoid α →+ ℕ := countp (eq x)
+
+lemma count_of [decidable_eq α] (x y : α) : count x (of y) = pi.single x 1 y :=
+by simp only [count, countp_of, pi.single_apply, eq_comm]
+
+lemma count_apply [decidable_eq α] (x : α) (l : free_add_monoid α) :
+  count x l = list.count x l :=
+rfl
+
+end free_add_monoid
+
+namespace free_monoid
+
+/-- `list.countp` as a bundled multiplicative monoid homomorphism. -/
+def countp (p : α → Prop) [decidable_pred p] : free_monoid α →* multiplicative ℕ :=
+(free_add_monoid.countp p).to_multiplicative
+
+lemma countp_of' (x : α) :
+  countp p (of x) = if p x then multiplicative.of_add 1 else multiplicative.of_add 0 :=
+rfl
+
+lemma countp_of (x : α) : countp p (of x) = if p x then multiplicative.of_add 1 else 1 :=
+by rw [countp_of', of_add_zero] -- `rfl` is not transitive
+
+lemma countp_apply (l : free_add_monoid α) :
+  countp p l = multiplicative.of_add (list.countp p l) :=
+rfl
+
+/-- `list.count` as a bundled additive monoid homomorphism. -/
+def count [decidable_eq α] (x : α) : free_monoid α →* multiplicative ℕ := countp (eq x)
+
+lemma count_apply [decidable_eq α] (x : α) (l : free_add_monoid α) :
+  count x l = multiplicative.of_add (list.count x l) :=
+rfl
+
+lemma count_of [decidable_eq α] (x y : α) :
+  count x (of y) = @pi.mul_single α (λ _, multiplicative ℕ) _ _ x (multiplicative.of_add 1) y :=
+by simp only [count, countp_of, pi.mul_single_apply, eq_comm]
+
+end free_monoid
diff --git a/src/control/fold.lean b/src/control/fold.lean
index efb64c4d35c80..2944d754f29cf 100644
--- a/src/control/fold.lean
+++ b/src/control/fold.lean
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ Copyright (c) 2018 Simon Hudon. All rights reserved.
 Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
 Authors: Simon Hudon, Sean Leather
 -/
-import algebra.free_monoid
+import algebra.free_monoid.basic
 import algebra.opposites
 import control.traversable.instances
 import control.traversable.lemmas
diff --git a/src/group_theory/free_product.lean b/src/group_theory/free_product.lean
index 89c1f09895630..f6147c59b5231 100644
--- a/src/group_theory/free_product.lean
+++ b/src/group_theory/free_product.lean
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ Copyright (c) 2021 David Wärn. All rights reserved.
 Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
 Authors: David Wärn, Joachim Breitner
 -/
-import algebra.free_monoid
+import algebra.free_monoid.basic
 import group_theory.congruence
 import group_theory.is_free_group
 import group_theory.subgroup.pointwise
diff --git a/src/group_theory/submonoid/membership.lean b/src/group_theory/submonoid/membership.lean
index fc77d6c08abb9..d70d06f8b1aa5 100644
--- a/src/group_theory/submonoid/membership.lean
+++ b/src/group_theory/submonoid/membership.lean
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Amelia Livingston, Yury Kudryashov
 -/
 import group_theory.submonoid.operations
 import algebra.big_operators.basic
-import algebra.free_monoid
+import algebra.free_monoid.basic
 import data.finset.noncomm_prod
 
 /-!