Character Counter
Free online character counter: count characters with and without spaces, plus words and lines. Live limits for X, SMS, meta descriptions and Instagram captions.
Updated 2026-06-14 · Free · No sign-up · Runs privately in your browser
How the Character Counter Works
Paste or type into the box and this tool instantly shows your character count (with and without spaces), plus words and lines. It also checks your text against common platform limits, turning red the moment you exceed one. Everything updates live and stays in your browser.
Character counts matter wherever space is limited: social posts, SMS messages, search snippets, ad copy, form fields, and database columns all enforce or recommend a maximum length. Knowing your exact count lets you trim with confidence instead of guessing.
How it works
- Characters — counted by Unicode code points, so each letter, digit, space, symbol and standard emoji is one character.
- No spaces — the same count after removing every space, tab, and line break.
- Words — runs of non-space characters separated by whitespace.
- Lines — the number of lines, counting each line break.
- Platform limits — your character total is compared against each platform’s cap and flagged if you go over.
Worked Example
Type the sentence:
The quick brown fox.
The counter reports:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Characters | 20 |
| No spaces | 17 |
| Words | 4 |
| Lines | 1 |
Against an X post limit of 280, you are well under, with 260 characters to spare.
Common Character Limits
| Field | Limit |
|---|---|
| X / Twitter post | 280 |
| Single SMS | 160 |
| Search meta description | ~160 |
| Title tag (recommended) | ~60 |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 |
Frequently asked questions
Does the character counter count spaces?+
It shows both totals. The 'Characters' figure includes spaces, tabs and line breaks, while 'No spaces' strips out all whitespace. Many platform limits, such as X and SMS, count spaces, so the spaces-included total is usually the one to watch.
How are emoji and accented letters counted?+
The tool counts by Unicode code points, so a standard emoji or an accented letter like 'e-acute' counts as one character. Note that some platforms count certain emoji as two, so a long caption near a limit may differ slightly from your target app.
Why show limits for X, SMS and meta descriptions?+
Those fields have hard or recommended caps - 280 for an X post, 160 for a single SMS or a search meta description, 60 for a title tag, 2200 for an Instagram caption. The tool flags in red when you go over so you can trim before posting.
What is the difference between characters and words?+
Characters count every letter, digit, space and symbol individually, while words count groups of non-space characters separated by whitespace. A 280-character tweet, for instance, might be only 45 to 55 words.
Is my text private?+
Yes. The counter runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript, so nothing you paste is uploaded, logged, or stored. It also keeps working offline once the page has loaded.