Free Character Counter
Instant character counting for your text. Free online tool for writers and marketers.
Free Character Counter — Instant Character & Word Count Tool
Instant character counting for your text, with no signup required. Get an accurate character count, with spaces, without spaces, and total word count, the moment you start typing. Built for writers, marketers, and anyone working within a strict platform character limit.
Why Character Count Is Different From Word Count
Character count and word count answer two different questions. Word count tells you how much you've written; character count tells you exactly how much space that writing takes up. The two don't move together, "OK" is 2 characters but 1 word, while "antidisestablishmentarianism" is 28 characters and still just 1 word.
This distinction matters because most digital platforms don't enforce a word limit, they enforce a character limit. If you're writing for Twitter/X, SMS, or a Google meta description, character count is the number that actually decides whether your message gets cut off.
How to Use the Character Counter
- Type directly into the box, or paste in text copied from another document.
- Instantly see Characters (Total), Characters (No Spaces), and Words update as you type.
- Click Copy Text to grab your final draft, or Clear Text to start fresh.
No button to click, no page reload, every count updates live with each keystroke.
Character Limits by Platform (Quick Reference)
Use this table to check your text against the most common character limits before you publish:
| Platform / Field | Character Limit |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 characters |
| X (Twitter) bio | 160 characters |
| SMS text message | 160 characters per segment |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| Instagram bio | 150 characters |
| Facebook post | 63,206 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| LinkedIn summary | 2,000 characters |
| Threads post | 500 characters |
| Reddit title | 300 characters |
| YouTube title | 100 characters |
| Google title tag | ~60 characters |
| Google meta description | ~155–160 characters |
| eBay product title | 80 characters |
| Email subject line | ~50 characters (for best mobile open rates) |
Tip: When in doubt, count with spaces, almost every platform above, including Twitter/X, SMS, and Google, includes spaces in its character limit.
Characters With Spaces vs. Without Spaces, Which One Do You Need?
- With spaces (total): Use this for nearly every online platform, social media posts, SMS, meta titles and descriptions, and ad copy. This is the number that matters for character limits almost everywhere.
- Without spaces: Mainly used for translation and transcription pricing (most agencies quote per 1,000 characters excluding spaces), typesetting estimates, and some academic or publishing style guides that specifically request a "net character count."
If your guidelines don't specify, go with the "with spaces" total, that's the industry default.
A Note on Emojis and Special Characters
Character counters built on standard JavaScript string length typically count most emoji as 1–2 characters and accented letters (é, ñ, ü) as a single character. However, individual platforms apply their own rules, Twitter/X, for example, always counts a URL as exactly 23 characters regardless of its real length, and some emoji with skin-tone or family modifiers can count as multiple characters internally even though they display as one symbol. If you're working right up against a platform's hard limit, always do a final check inside that platform before publishing.
Who Uses a Character Counter
- Social media managers fitting captions and bios within Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn limits
- SEO writers keeping title tags and meta descriptions from being truncated in Google search results
- Marketers writing SMS campaigns and push notifications within strict character budgets
- Job seekers trimming resume bullet points and headlines to fit a one-page layout
- Translators estimating word/character-based pricing for client quotes
- Developers validating input field length limits during testing
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the character count include spaces?
The tool shows both figures separately, Characters (Total), which includes spaces, and Characters (No Spaces), which excludes them, so you can use whichever number your platform or guideline requires.
Why does my character count differ from what Twitter/X shows?
Twitter/X applies special rules, such as counting every URL as exactly 23 characters regardless of its actual length and treating certain emoji as 2 characters. Our tool shows the literal character count of what you typed, which may differ slightly from Twitter's internal calculation.
Is there a limit on how much text I can paste in?
No, you can check the character count of anything from a short bio to a full-length article with no restrictions.
Do emojis count as one character or more?
Most basic emoji count as 1–2 characters depending on how they're encoded, while complex emoji with skin-tone or family modifiers can count as several characters internally even though they appear as a single symbol on screen.
Is my text stored or sent to a server?
No. All counting happens locally in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, logged, or saved anywhere, making it safe for confidential or unpublished content.
What character limit should I use for a Google meta description?
Aim for roughly 150–155 characters to stay safely within Google's typical truncation point of about 155–160 characters on desktop, since limits vary slightly on mobile.
Can I use this tool for non-English text?
Yes, the counter works with any language and script, including accented letters, Cyrillic, Arabic, and CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) characters.
Is this character counter free?
Yes, it's completely free to use with no signup, no character limit, and no hidden restrictions.