Online Character Count

How to check character count

Type or paste into the editor. The main total updates as you edit; an empty field shows zero. Start with the Simple example for ordinary text, or Emoji to see why one visible character can contain several stored units.

The default online character count measures Unicode code points and includes whitespace. Choose another unit when your requirement specifies one. Words and the count without whitespace appear beside the main result, so you can compare them without changing your text.

Copy text copies the original editor content. Clear empties it and offers Undo. Copy stats produces a labelled report containing the count, selected unit, whitespace rule and length requirement. It does not include your writing.

Why character totals can differ

A letter such as A is usually straightforward. Emoji and accented letters can be less obvious. The family emoji 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 looks like one character but contains several Unicode code points. An accented letter may also consist of a base letter followed by a combining mark.

Visible characters counts grapheme clusters: groups that a browser treats as one character, including whitespace. Code points counts the individual Unicode values. UTF-16 units measures the units used by many web text fields; some symbols use two. These measurements answer different questions, so there is no single total that every destination must use.

If your online character count differs from another editor, open Inspect characters. Its rows show each cluster, its source position and its stored units. Whitespace and invisible marks receive readable labels. Rows appear in small batches; selecting one finds that cluster in the editor. This inspection does not alter or normalize your text.

Count with or without whitespace

Spaces, tabs and line breaks can consume a text field's allowance. With whitespace included, “Hello world!” has 12 code points. Excluding whitespace gives 11. Punctuation still counts in both results.

The whitespace option affects the main total and custom requirement together. Detailed statistics distinguish ordinary spaces from all whitespace and show logical line breaks separately. A zero-width mark is not automatically a space: it can still contribute to a stored count even when it has no visible width.

Changing a counting option leaves the source intact. It does not remove spaces from the text you copy. This makes the online character count useful for comparing rules before you edit the actual message.

Check a maximum or minimum length

Enter a custom requirement and choose Maximum or Minimum. Maximum shows the remaining allowance, an exact match or the amount over. Minimum shows how much is still needed, or confirms that the target has been reached. Leave the requirement blank to count without a target.

For a maximum, choose Preview fit to inspect a fitting prefix and the part beyond it. The cut stays on a whole grapheme boundary, even when the selected budget uses code points or UTF-16 units. An optional ellipsis consumes part of that allowance. Copy fitting text copies the reviewed prefix; your original stays in the editor.

The preview displays a bounded excerpt when the passage is long. Its copy action still uses the complete calculated prefix. This is a length-based cut, so check whether the ending makes sense before using it. It does not summarize or rewrite a sentence.

Measure a selection and inspect the details

Highlight a passage and choose Count selection to compare it with the whole document. The result is labelled separately. Selections are expanded to whole grapheme boundaries when necessary, so a partial emoji is not mistaken for a complete character. Editing the source clears the selection result.

More statistics includes letters, digits, symbols, punctuation, emoji sequences, unique characters and words, plus sentence, paragraph and line totals. Word and sentence boundaries are estimates. Reading and speaking times use 200 and 130 words per minute; estimated pages use 500 words per page. The English reading-grade estimate uses word, syllable and sentence patterns, rather than judging writing quality.

Frequency panels show repeated words or characters. Choose an available stopword language to filter common words, then add or remove your own exclusions. The filter changes the frequency table, not your writing or main count. Character frequency keeps whole code points together. Longer lists use Show more, while totals still cover the full text.

Platform limits and SEO writing targets

An online character count can help you plan a post or form response, but a destination may apply a different rule. Use the requirement shown in the current app and check the final pasted text there.

An X character counter needs to account for weighted URLs and emoji. A plain count here does not validate an X post. A Discord character counter also needs the right field: the documented 2,000-character Create Message API allowance does not describe every Discord field or account feature.

When using an IG character counter, enter the requirement from the current Instagram field. This page does not verify a universal Instagram limit. LinkedIn and SMS references also have specific contexts; SMS capacity depends on encoding, so a character total alone cannot predict message segments or cost.

Use the SEO character counter as a writing aid. A target such as 160 is editable, not a Google rule. Search snippets can be shortened to fit the device and may use different page text. Length alone cannot guarantee how a description will appear.

Processing and limits

Counting runs in your browser, with no account required. The editor accepts up to 200,000 UTF-16 units; oversized input is rejected instead of silently shortened. Optional inspection and preview lists limit what is displayed, while their totals describe the accepted text.

The online character count does not save your writing as a draft or connect to documents in other apps. Website analytics and advertising are covered by the Privacy Policy. For sentence-by-sentence review, open Sentence Counter. For byte encoding and detailed code-point inspection, use UTF-8 Text Converter.