Character Counter: Count Characters With and Without Spaces
This free character counter counts every character you type or paste, with and without spaces, along with words, lines, sentences and UTF-8 bytes. A live limits table shows how many characters you have left for an X (Twitter) post, an SMS, a meta title, a meta description and other common limits.
| Limit | Max | Left |
|---|
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Quick answer: Paste your text into the box. The first number is the total character count including spaces; the second leaves spaces, tabs and line breaks out. Most sites, including X and Google, count spaces as characters.
How to use the character counter
- Type or paste your text into the box. The counts update as you type.
- Read Characters for the full count, or Without spaces if a form or assignment asks for letters only.
- Check the limits table. Green means you are within the limit; red shows how many characters to cut.
- Click Copy text when you are done.
Common character limits
| Where | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 | Links count as 23 characters; paid accounts can post longer. |
| SMS text message | 160 | Drops to 70 if the message has emoji or accented letters. |
| Google title tag | About 60 | Google cuts by pixel width, so 50 to 60 is safe. |
| Meta description | About 155 to 160 | Longer text is cut off with an ellipsis in results. |
| YouTube title | 100 | Around 60 show in most search results. |
| Instagram bio / caption | 150 / 2,200 | Only the first 125 caption characters show before “more”. |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | About 210 show before “see more”. |
Why character counts can differ between tools
Some characters take more than one unit in computer memory. An emoji such as a thumbs up is one character on screen but two units in JavaScript and four bytes in UTF-8. This counter counts what you see as one character per code point, which matches how X and most forms count. The bytes figure matters for databases, file sizes and SMS gateways that bill by size.
Line breaks count as one character each. If a site gives a lower number than this tool, it may be ignoring line breaks or trailing spaces.
Characters, words and reading time
An average English word is about 4.7 letters, so 1,000 characters is roughly 170 to 200 words. For full word statistics, reading time and keyword density, use the word counter. To see which words you repeat most, try the word frequency counter.
FAQ
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, on almost every website and in most word processors. The “without spaces” figure is for the few forms and assignments that ask for it.
How many characters is a tweet?
A standard X post can be up to 280 characters. Each link counts as 23 characters however long it is.
Is my text saved?
No. The counter runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. Refreshing the page clears the box.
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