Free online character counter
Character counter: count the characters and words in your text
Paste or type your text below. See characters with spaces and without spaces, words, sentences, paragraphs and lines in real time — with no sign-up and completely free.
Character limit or target
Counted with spaces. Change the basis with the switch below.
Character limits by channel (characters with spaces)
Show text analysis
Most frequent words
- Type some text to see the most frequent words.
Recent counts
Counts are saved only in your own browser so you can return to them later. They are never sent to any server.
What the numbers mean
What the character counter shows
Every metric updates the moment you edit your text. Below is what each number counts and when it is most useful.
Characters with spaces
All visible characters plus spaces and line breaks. This is the number most character limits use, such as the meta description and text messages.
Characters without spaces
The same text without spaces. Needed for forms, translation work and cases where only the actual letters and numbers are counted.
Words
Every word separated by spaces. Word count is the most important metric for theses, essays and pricing text work.
Sentences and paragraphs
Sentences are counted from full stops, exclamation marks and question marks. Paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line — useful for judging structure.
Reading and speaking time
An estimate of how long the text takes to read or say aloud. Handy when planning presentations, video scripts and blog posts.
Most frequent words
See the ten most repeated words and their shares. Helps you spot needless repetition and improve readability.
Three steps
How to use the character counter
The character counter is built so you don't have to install or learn anything. You're ready in three steps.
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Type or paste your text
Type straight into the field or paste text from Word, email or your browser. You can also press Paste or import a .txt file.
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Read the results in real time
Characters with and without spaces, words, sentences and lines update instantly. Open text analysis for reading time, unique words and the most frequent words.
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Set a limit or share the result
Pick a ready limit (for example 160) or enter your own. Copy the stats, download them as a file, or share the result as a link with a colleague.
The basics
What is a character counter?
A character counter is a simple web tool that tells you how many characters and words your text contains. A character means a single letter, number, punctuation mark or space, so the character count describes the true length of your text better than the word count alone. When you write a social post, fill in a form or polish a search-optimised title, you often have to stay within a certain character limit — and that is exactly what this text character counter is for.
A typical situation looks like this: you're writing a message that has to fit in 160 characters, but you don't want to count letters by hand. You paste the text into the counter and instantly see how many characters are used and how many are left. The same works when a thesis abstract must not exceed the allowed word count, or when a translator bills work by the word. A combined word and character counter shows all of these numbers at once, so you never have to switch between tools.
All counting happens in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere — important when you handle applications, work texts or other confidential content. The counter handles letters, numbers, punctuation, emoji and other Unicode characters correctly, each as one visible character. A word counter and character counter together give you a complete picture of your text's length and structure in a few seconds.
In short: a character counter = how many characters. A word counter = how many words. This tool shows both at the same time, plus sentences, paragraphs and lines.
Who it's for and why
When you need a character counter
The same counter serves very different users. Here are the most common situations where checking your character count saves time and nerves.
Students and theses
Abstracts, essays and applications often have a strict word or character limit. Paste the text and make sure you stay within the given limits before submitting. You also see the average sentence length, which helps you judge readability.
Translators and copywriters
When work is billed by the word or character, an exact word count is the basis for pricing. Characters without spaces is a common unit in the translation industry, and it is shown here directly.
Social and marketing teams
X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Meta ads each follow their own character limits. The counter also shows whether your text fits each channel's limit, so you avoid truncated posts.
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
A good page title is about 50–60 characters and a meta description about 150–160. Set the right target and trim the text to fit so it doesn't get cut off in search results.
Text messages and bulletins
One text message is 160 characters. You see instantly whether the message goes as one or several messages — important when sending mass bulletins.
Office work and forms
Government forms and application fields often have character limits. Copy the text into the counter, check the length and paste it back — faster than hunting for Word's status bar.
Comparison table
Character limits by channel
Indicative character limits for the most common channels. Services update their limits from time to time, so use these as a guide.
| Channel | Recommended limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SEO title (Google) | 50–60 | A longer title gets cut off in search results. |
| Meta description | 150–160 | Describe the page attractively within the limit. |
| Text message (SMS) | 160 | With special characters, one message is 70 characters. |
| X (Twitter) | 280 | Links and emoji take up their own space. |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | The first ~125 characters show before "more". |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | The visible part is cut at about 210 characters. |
| Meta ad headline | ~40 | A short, clear headline works best. |
Transparency
How characters are counted
So the results never surprise you, here are the counting rules. This is why the number can sometimes differ from, say, Word.
Characters with spaces
This includes all visible characters: letters, numbers, punctuation, plus spaces, line breaks and emoji. It is the true length of the text in characters.
Characters without spaces
By default only ordinary spaces are removed. If you also want to remove line breaks and tabs, use the Remove all whitespace switch. That lets you choose exactly the counting method that suits you.
Words, sentences and paragraphs
Words are separated by spaces, so consecutive spaces don't inflate the count. Sentences are counted from full stops, exclamation marks and question marks; abbreviations and URLs can produce an estimate. Paragraphs are blocks separated by a blank line.
Unicode and emoji
Each letter counts as one character. An emoji shows as one character, but combined emoji can behave differently on different platforms. Worth remembering, especially in text messages and social posts.
Good to know: different programs count hidden characters, footnotes and headers and footers differently. That is why an online counter and a word processor can show a difference of a few characters. Read a closer comparison in the Word guide →
Sources and reliability
Character and word counting is based on widely used text-processing principles. For character limits, the recommendations follow each service's publicly stated limits, such as the 160-character SMS standard and search-result title and description lengths. For program-specific instructions, such as the word-count features in Word and Google Docs, we refer to the software's own support pages. Because services update their limits regularly, we present the numbers as indicative and update the content as needed.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does the character counter also count characters without spaces?
Yes. You see both characters with spaces and characters without spaces at the same time. You can also choose whether only ordinary spaces are removed or all whitespace, such as line breaks and tabs.
Is the text I type stored anywhere?
No. The text is processed entirely in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server, so you can count confidential texts too. If you like, your most recent counts are saved only in your browser for history.
Is 160 characters right for a text message?
One standard text message is 160 characters. If the text contains special characters or emoji, one message holds 70 characters. Set the target to 160 and you will instantly see how many characters are left. See the 160-character counter →
Does it count emoji and special characters correctly?
Yes. Every visible character — including accented letters and symbols — counts as one. This way the character count matches what your eye sees in the text.
Can I use the character counter on my phone?
Yes. The counter is designed mobile-first and works smoothly on phone, tablet and computer. There is no app to install.
Is the character counter free?
Yes, completely free and unlimited. It requires no sign-up and no email. You can come back to the page as often as you like.
What users say
Examples of how the character counter is used day to day.
"I use this every week for social posts. I can see straight away whether an update fits the limit, and the text never has to be sent anywhere."
Content creator
"My thesis abstract had a tight character limit. This was the fastest way to check the length without fiddling with Word."
Student
"Characters without spaces are shown directly, which makes billing translations easier. A clear, fast tool."
Translator
More counters and guides
Continue to these tools
More precise counters and guides for different situations. They all open the same character counter.