Character Counter
Count characters, words, sentences and paragraphs as you type. Check your text against X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google and SMS limits, and see keyword density and readability.
- Live counts
- Social & SEO limits
- Keyword density
- Nothing uploaded
Counted in your browser. Your text is never uploaded.
Readability
How to use the character counter
- Type or paste your textEvery count updates instantly – characters, words, sentences, reading time and more.
- Check it against a limitSee how much room is left on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google and SMS, or set your own word or character limit.
- Polish itUse keyword density to spot repetition and the readability scores to keep sentences clear. Select part of the text to count just that part.
Character limits worth knowing
| Where | Limit | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 characters | Links count as 23; most emoji count as 2 |
| Threads post | 500 characters | |
| Bluesky post | 300 characters | |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters | Only the first ~125 show before “more” |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters | About the first 200 show before “see more” |
| YouTube title / description | 100 / 5,000 characters | |
| Google title / meta description | ~60 / ~155 characters | Google trims by pixel width, so these are guides |
| SMS message | 160 or 70 characters | 70 when the text has emoji or non-Latin letters |
Platforms change their limits from time to time. Treat the meters as a quick check and confirm in the app before posting something important.
Characters, words and sentences
Characters include letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation and line breaks. Words are counted using your browser’s language rules, so hyphenated words and contractions count once, and languages without spaces, like Japanese or Thai, are split sensibly. Sentences end at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or line break.
Readability formulas
Flesch reading ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words)
Flesch-Kincaid grade = 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59
Syllables are estimated from vowel patterns, which is accurate for most English words but not every one. Shorter sentences and everyday words raise the score.
Frequently asked questions
Does a space count as a character?
Yes. Spaces, punctuation and line breaks are all characters, which is how most forms and platforms count them. The “Without spaces” figure leaves spaces and line breaks out.
How are emoji counted?
This counter counts what you see: an emoji, even one built from several pieces like 👨👩👧, is one character. Some platforms count differently – X counts most emoji as two characters, and SMS switches to Unicode mode, which halves the space per message.
How many characters can a tweet have?
A standard post on X can be up to 280 characters. Links always count as 23 characters, and emoji and characters from Chinese, Japanese and Korean count as two. The X meter applies these rules as an estimate.
How long should a meta description be?
Google doesn’t set a fixed limit – it cuts snippets by width – but descriptions of about 150–160 characters usually show in full. Page titles are usually shown in full up to about 50–60 characters.
Why does my SMS count as two or more messages?
A standard SMS holds 160 characters from the GSM alphabet. If your message contains any emoji or non-Latin letters, such as Hindi, it switches to Unicode and holds only 70. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67 characters.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time assumes about 238 words per minute, the average silent reading speed for adults found in a large 2019 review of studies. Speaking time assumes about 140 words per minute, a typical pace for presentations.
What is a good Flesch reading ease score?
Scores run from 0 to 100; higher is easier. A score of 60–70 is plain English that most adults read easily. Scores below 30 are typical of academic or legal writing. The score is designed for English text.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
Nothing is uploaded – all counting happens in your browser. If you turn on “Keep my text in this browser”, a draft is saved only on this device until you turn it off.
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