Why Count Characters?
Different platforms have strict character limits. Exceeding them means your content gets cut off or rejected. Here are the most important limits to know:
- Twitter/X: 280 characters per tweet
- Meta description: 150–160 characters for best SEO results
- SMS text message: 160 characters per standard SMS
- Google Ads headline: 30 characters maximum
- Instagram caption: 2,200 characters (but only first 125 show without "more")
- LinkedIn article title: 150 characters
Characters With Spaces vs Without Spaces
Some platforms count spaces, others don't. Our tool shows both counts simultaneously:
- With spaces: The total character count including every space.
- Without spaces: Only letters, numbers, and punctuation are counted.
How to Count Characters Online
1Open the Character Counter tool.
2Type or paste your text into the input area.
3See the live count update — with spaces, without spaces, word count, and line count.
💡 Tip: Use the character counter when writing meta descriptions. Aim for 150–160 characters to maximize what's shown in Google search results without truncation.
FAQ
Does a newline/enter key count as a character?
Yes — a line break counts as one character (\n). This is important for SMS and Twitter where newlines are included in the character count.
Do emoji count as one character?
Most emoji count as 2 characters in systems that use Unicode. Twitter counts emoji as 2 characters. Be careful when using emoji in character-limited content.