Character Counter
Counts characters, characters without spaces, words, sentences, bytes and reading time as you type, and shows how much room is left under a limit.
- Words
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- Bytes (UTF-8)
- 0
- Without line breaks
- 0
- Reading time
- 0 min
Your text never leaves this browser and is not saved. Only the limit setting is remembered on this device.
How to use the Character Counter
- Type or paste your text into the box. The counts update as you type, with nothing to press.
- Read characters with and without spaces at the top, and words, sentences, lines, bytes and reading time underneath.
- If your text has a limit, enter it and choose whether it counts characters, words or bytes. The bar shows what is left.
- When the text runs over, the point where the limit falls is shown, and Copy up to the limit copies only the part that fits.
What each figure measures
Characters counts everything in the box, spaces, tabs and line breaks included. Without spaces removes every whitespace character, not only the space bar. Words splits at runs of whitespace, so a hyphenated compound such as well-known counts once. Bytes is the size of the text in UTF-8, where English letters take one byte and most other scripts take two to four, and reading time assumes about 238 words a minute.
Writing to a limit
Enter a limit, such as 280 for a post or 160 for a meta description, and pick whether it counts characters, characters without spaces, words or bytes. A bar fills as you type and turns orange once you are over. The tool then shows the exact point where the limit falls, with a few characters either side, and Copy up to the limit takes only the part that fits, without splitting an emoji.
Where the count differs from a platform limit
The character total follows the way JavaScript measures a string, so most emoji add 2 rather than 1, and flag sequences add more. Networks and databases apply their own rules, so treat this as a guide against a hard limit.
Frequently asked questions
Are punctuation and symbols counted?
Yes, every character is included in the total.
Can I check a meta description length?
You can, though the meta description length checker gives you the search snippet limits directly.
Do line breaks count as characters?
Yes. Each break adds one to the Characters total, and it is taken out of Without spaces, which strips every whitespace character.
How are hyphenated words counted?
As one word. The split happens at spaces, tabs and line breaks only, so well-known and a date written 01/02 each count once.
Does an emoji count as one character?
Usually not. Most emoji add 2 to the Characters total because of how the text is measured, and combined sequences such as flags add more.
Can I set a character or word limit?
Yes. Enter the limit and choose characters, characters without spaces, words or bytes. You see how much is left, or how far over you are and where the limit falls.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No. Counting happens in your browser and the text is not stored. Only the limit you set is remembered on this device.