How to use the character counter
- Type or paste your text into the box. Every count updates instantly as you write.
- Check characters with and without spaces, words, bytes, sentences and estimated reading time.
- Use the length limit bars to see whether your text fits an X post, an SEO title or a meta description.
How each number is counted
- Characters
- Every visible character, space and line break. Emoji and accented letters count as one character, just as you see them.
- Without spaces
- The same count with spaces, tabs and line breaks removed — often required for essays and applications.
- Words
- Groups of letters or numbers separated by spaces or punctuation, detected with your browser’s language-aware word breaker.
- Bytes (UTF-8)
- The storage size of the text. English letters take 1 byte, accented letters 2, and most Asian characters 3 bytes.
- Reading time
- An estimate based on average silent reading speed for the language. Speaking time uses a typical presentation pace.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text saved or uploaded?
Your text never leaves your device. It is only kept in your own browser so it survives a page refresh, and you can remove it any time with Clear.
Why does X show a different count?
X counts Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters and emoji as two characters each. The X bar on this page uses the same rule.
How long should an SEO title and meta description be?
Search engines usually show about 50–60 characters of a title and 150–160 characters of a description before cutting it off.
Does it count emoji correctly?
Yes. Emoji with skin tones or combined emoji like family icons are counted as one character, the way people see them.