How to count characters
- Type or paste your text into the box. The character count updates instantly with every key press.
- See characters including spaces, characters without spaces, words, sentences and lines side by side.
- Compare the total with the common limits listed underneath so you know whether your text fits.
Why character counts matter
Many places on the web cut text off after a fixed number of characters. A standard post on X allows 280 characters, an SMS fits 160 plain characters before splitting into two messages, Google usually shows about 155 to 160 characters of a meta description, and Instagram captions stop at 2,200. Forms, app store listings, ad headlines and job portals all have their own limits, and going over often means your last words simply disappear.
This counter treats each emoji and accented letter as one character, the way people see them, rather than counting the hidden code units that some simple tools count. Note that some platforms count differently: X counts most emoji as two characters and links as 23, and SMS switches to a 70-character limit as soon as you use an emoji or a non-Latin letter.
Your text stays in your browser and is never uploaded, so it is safe for drafts, emails and private messages.
FAQ
Do spaces count as characters?
Usually yes. Most limits, including X, SMS and meta descriptions, count spaces. The count without spaces is shown too for forms that exclude them.
How many characters is an emoji?
One visible character here. Some platforms count an emoji as two because of how it is stored.
How many characters fit in a text message?
160 with plain Latin characters, or 70 if the message contains emoji or other special characters.