Text Tools
Character Counter
Count characters, words, sentences, and paragraphs instantly. Perfect for Twitter/X (280 chars), SMS (160 chars), meta descriptions (160 chars), and social media character limits.
Use Character Counter to get instant results without uploads or sign-ups. Everything runs securely in your browser for fast, reliable output.
Your results will appear here.
About this tool
Count characters instantly with our free character counter tool. Perfect for Twitter/X posts (280 character limit), SMS messages (160 characters), Facebook posts, Instagram captions, meta descriptions, and any text requiring character limits. The counter updates live as you type, showing character count, word count, sentence count, and paragraph count.
Our character counter is essential for social media managers, content writers, students, and anyone needing to stay within character limits. Unlike basic counters, we show both character count with spaces and without spaces, along with real-time tracking of remaining characters for popular platforms like Twitter, SMS, and meta descriptions.
The tool is perfect for optimizing social media content, ensuring meta descriptions fit search engine requirements, staying within SMS character limits, meeting academic assignment word requirements, and crafting concise marketing copy. All counting happens instantly as you type with no delays or page reloads.
Your text stays completely private - all counting is done in your browser with nothing sent to servers. Works on any device and can be bookmarked for quick access whenever you need to count characters or check text length.
Usage examples
Twitter/X Post Character Count
Tweet text: "Just launched our new website! Check it out at example.com 🚀 #WebDevelopment"
Characters: 79/280 (201 remaining). Words: 11. Perfect length for engagement - studies show tweets under 100 characters get 17% higher engagement.
SMS Text Message Count
Text: "Hi! Can we reschedule our meeting to 3pm tomorrow? The conference room is booked until then. Let me know!"
Characters: 108/160 (52 remaining). Words: 19. Fits in a single SMS. Messages over 160 characters are split and charged as multiple texts.
SEO Meta Description Length
Meta: "Best pizza in NYC. Hand-tossed, wood-fired pizzas made with authentic Italian ingredients. Free delivery. Order now!"
Characters: 120/160 (40 remaining). Words: 16. Ideal length! Meta descriptions between 150-160 characters display fully in Google search results.
Instagram Caption with Hashtags
Caption with hashtags and emojis: "Beautiful sunset at the beach 🌅 #sunset #beach #nature #photography #beautiful #travel #summer"
Characters: 106. Words: 10 (text) + 7 hashtags. Characters with spaces: 106. Without spaces: 90. Instagram allows 2,200 characters, so plenty of room!
Academic Essay Word Count
Essay introduction paragraph (750 characters)
Characters: 750. Words: 120. Sentences: 5. Paragraphs: 1. For a 1,500-word essay, this intro is 8% of total - ideal for academic writing (intros should be 7-10%).
How to use
- Select your target platform from the dropdown (Twitter, SMS, Instagram, etc.)
- Type or paste your text into the text area
- View real-time character count, word count, and sentence count
- See remaining characters for your selected platform limit
- The counter updates automatically as you type - no need to click
- Switch platforms to check limits for different services
Benefits
- Real-time character counting - updates instantly as you type
- Shows multiple metrics - characters, words, sentences, paragraphs
- Platform-specific limits - see remaining characters for Twitter, SMS, meta descriptions
- Counts with and without spaces - useful for different requirements
- No character limit on input - count text of any length
- 100% free with no registration required
- Complete privacy - text never leaves your browser
- Mobile-optimized for on-the-go counting
- Works offline after first load
- No ads or distractions
FAQs
How many characters are allowed in a tweet/X post?
Twitter/X allows 280 characters per tweet (increased from 140 in 2017). However, links count as 23 characters regardless of actual length, and images don't count toward the limit. Studies show tweets between 70-100 characters get the highest engagement rates.
What is the character limit for SMS text messages?
Standard SMS messages have a 160-character limit. Messages longer than 160 characters are automatically split into multiple texts (each charged separately). Modern smartphones can send up to 1,600 characters by concatenating multiple SMS messages, but 160 remains the standard single-message limit.
How long should a meta description be for SEO?
Meta descriptions should be 150-160 characters for optimal display in Google search results. Google typically shows 155-160 characters on desktop and around 120 characters on mobile. Longer descriptions get truncated with "...", potentially losing important information.
Does this counter include spaces in the character count?
Yes, by default character counts include spaces, as that's the standard for most platforms (Twitter, SMS, meta descriptions). Our counter shows both "with spaces" and "without spaces" counts, so you can use whichever measurement you need.
What's the difference between character count and word count?
Character count includes every letter, number, punctuation mark, and space. Word count counts individual words separated by spaces. For example, "Hello world!" has 12 characters (with spaces), 10 characters (without spaces), and 2 words. Different platforms have different requirements.
Are there character limits for Instagram captions?
Instagram captions allow up to 2,200 characters, though only the first 125 characters appear before the "...more" cutoff. For maximum visibility, put your key message and call-to-action in the first 125 characters. Instagram also allows 30 hashtags per post.
How do emojis affect character count?
Most emojis count as 2 characters (some complex ones count as more). For Twitter/X, emojis count toward the 280-character limit the same way letters do. When counting for SMS, emojis can significantly reduce your available space since each emoji typically uses 2-4 characters.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
No! All character counting happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded, saved, or sent to any server. The tool works completely offline after the page loads, ensuring total privacy for your content.
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