Character Counter
Free online character counter with live counts for characters with and without spaces, plus words and lines. Perfect for Twitter/X, Instagram, SMS, and SEO meta description limits.
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Characters
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No spaces
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Words
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About Character Counter
Count characters instantly with this free online character counter. As you type or paste, it shows total characters (with spaces), characters without spaces, plus word and line counts - so you can hit the exact limit for tweets, Instagram captions, SMS messages, and SEO meta descriptions. There is nothing to install and no signup: everything runs client-side in your browser, and your text never leaves your device.
How to Use Character Counter
- Type or paste your text into the input box.
- Watch the character count update live as you edit.
- Read both counts: characters with spaces and characters without spaces.
- Compare against your target limit (for example 280 for X or 160 for a meta description).
- Trim or expand your text until it fits, then copy it out.
Character Counter Examples
Meta description
Google typically displays about 150-160 characters in snippets.
Tweet / X post
X (Twitter) allows up to 280 characters per standard post.
SMS message
A single SMS fits 160 characters; longer messages are split into multiple segments.
Instagram caption
Instagram captions allow up to 2,200 characters, but the feed shows only the first ~125 before 'more'.
Read the full guide
How to Use Character Counter: Complete Guide (2026) - 5 min read
Frequently Asked Questions about Character Counter
- How do I count characters online?
- Paste or type your text into the box above and the character count appears instantly - no button to press. You get the total with spaces, the total without spaces, and word and line counts, all updating live as you edit.
- Do emojis count as one character?
- In this tool, each Unicode code unit is counted. Some emojis use two code units (surrogate pairs), so they may count as 2 characters here but display as 1. Platform limits (Twitter, Instagram) often measure differently - always test on the target platform.
- What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?
- "Characters" counts every character including spaces, tabs, and line breaks. "No spaces" counts only visible characters. The "no spaces" count is useful for platforms that ignore whitespace in their limits.
- What is the Twitter/X character limit?
- X (formerly Twitter) allows 280 characters per post for standard accounts. URLs are counted as 23 characters regardless of length. Verified accounts with Premium may have higher limits.
- What is the SMS character limit?
- A standard SMS holds 160 characters using GSM-7 encoding. If you include emoji or special characters, the message switches to Unicode and the limit drops to 70 characters per segment. Longer messages are split into multiple segments and joined on the recipient's phone.
- What is the ideal meta description length?
- Google typically displays 150-160 characters in search snippets. Aim for 150-155 characters to avoid truncation. The character counter is useful for writing meta descriptions that fit perfectly.
- Is a character count the same as a letter count?
- Not quite. A character count includes letters, digits, punctuation, symbols, and (optionally) spaces. A letter count would include only alphabetic characters. Use the 'without spaces' total when a platform ignores whitespace, and the full total when every keystroke counts.
- Does the counter work offline?
- Once the page has loaded, yes - the counting logic runs in your browser with no internet connection required.