Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces, including emoji the way you see them, and check SMS parts and how much room is left under your limit.
- Counts as you type
- Private: runs in your browser
- Reading time from research
- Never used to train AI
Character counter
Most repeated
Repeated phrases
SMS messages
GSM-7 (plain Latin text): 160 characters, or 153 per part. Any emoji or other script switches the whole message to UCS-2: 70, or 67 per part, and most emoji take two places.
Words are separated by spaces and line breaks; a dash on its own isn't a word. Characters are counted as you see them, so an emoji or an accented letter is one. Reading time uses 238 words a minute and speaking time 183 (Brysbaert, 2019). Paragraphs are lines with text. Your text is never sent or stored.
How to use the character counter
Type or paste your text above and the character counter shows the total instantly, with and without spaces, alongside words, sentences and an SMS estimate. Enter a character limit, such as the one for a bio, an ad headline or a form field, and a bar shows how much room is left.
Your text is counted in your browser and never sent or stored.
What counts as a character?
| Text | Characters | Without spaces |
|---|---|---|
| Hello world | 11 | 10 |
| Café | 4 | 4 |
| 👍🏽 Great | 7 | 6 |
| Line one + line break + Line two | 17 | 14 |
Spaces, punctuation and line breaks count as characters; the “without spaces” figure leaves spaces and line breaks out. Accented letters and emoji count as one character each, the way you see them, even when they’re stored as several code units inside the computer.
Why other sites may count differently
Text is stored in pieces called code units. Some systems count those pieces instead of visible characters, so an emoji, especially one with a skin tone or a flag, can count as 2 or more. If a platform’s own counter disagrees with this one, its count is the one that decides what it accepts. Common differences:
- Emoji may count as 2 or more on some platforms.
- Line breaks may count as 1 or 2 characters depending on the system.
- Links are shortened and counted at a fixed length on some social networks.
Counting characters in other scripts
In scripts such as Hindi, Urdu, Arabic and Thai, one visible character can be built from a letter plus vowel signs or other marks. This counter counts what you see as one character, so a syllable with its marks counts once. Many platforms instead count each underlying code point, which gives a higher number for the same text. When a strict limit applies, the platform’s own count is what matters, so leave a margin.
Characters in SMS messages
SMS has its own rules. According to Twilio’s documentation, a message using the standard GSM-7 character set holds 160 characters, or 153 per part when it’s split into several parts. If the text contains any character outside that set, such as an emoji or Chinese characters, the whole message switches to UCS-2 encoding and the limit drops to 70 characters, or 67 per part. Most emoji take two of those places, so a message of 68 letters and one emoji just fits.
| Encoding | Single message | Each part of a longer message |
|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 (plain Latin text) | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| UCS-2 (emoji, many other scripts) | 70 characters | 67 characters |
The “SMS messages” box estimates how many parts your text needs. A single curly quotation mark or emoji can double the count, so check it before sending bulk messages.
Writing to a character limit
- Enter the exact limit from the platform or form; limits change, so check its current help page.
- Lead with the important words. Some places cut off long text in previews, even when more is allowed.
- Swap long words for short ones and remove filler before cutting meaning.
- Watch the bar turn red when you go over; the number shows how many characters to remove.
Common uses
Social media posts and bios
Fit within each platform’s limit before you post.
Ads and listings
Headlines and descriptions with strict maximums.
Forms and applications
Answers limited to a set number of characters.
Text messages
See how many SMS parts a message will use.
Website titles and descriptions
Keep page titles and summaries short enough to read in full.
Code and data fields
Check values against database or API field lengths.
Ask for help fitting the limit
- “Shorten this bio to 150 characters and keep the tone.”
- “Give me three versions of this headline under 30 characters.”
- “Will this message fit in one SMS?”
Character counter: questions and answers
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes. The main count includes spaces; the “no spaces” count leaves them out.
How are emoji counted?
As one character each, as you see them. Some platforms count them as two or more, so their own counter decides.
How many characters fit in one SMS?
160 with standard characters, or 70 if the message contains an emoji or a character outside the GSM-7 set.
Can I set my own character limit?
Yes. Enter it below the counts; a bar shows how many characters are left or over.
Is my text stored?
No. Counting runs in your browser and nothing is saved.
Are line breaks counted?
Yes, each line break counts as one character in the total, and is left out of the “no spaces” count.
Why does a website show a different number?
Many sites count stored code units rather than visible characters, so emoji and some scripts count higher there. The site’s own counter decides what it accepts.
Does it count words too?
Yes, along with sentences, paragraphs and reading time. For word limits, the word counter focuses on words.