Character Counter
Count characters online as you type — with and without spaces, plus words, sentences and lines, and live meters for Twitter, SMS and meta-tag limits.
0
Characters
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Words
0
Sentences
0
Lines
Platform limits
Live used / remaining counts against common character limits.
Meta title
Search-result page title
0 / 60
60 remaining
SMS
Single text message segment
0 / 160
160 remaining
Meta description
Search-result snippet
0 / 160
160 remaining
Twitter / X
Standard post length
0 / 280
280 remaining
Instagram caption
Full caption limit
0 / 2,200
2,200 remaining
Quick answer
A character counter tells you exactly how many characters your text contains. Paste or type into the box above and every figure updates instantly — characters with and without spaces, words, sentences and lines — alongside live “used / remaining” meters for Twitter/X, SMS, Instagram and SEO meta-tag limits. It all runs in your browser, so your text stays private and works offline.
Why character count matters
Almost every place you publish text enforces a character limit, and going over it means your words get cut off — or rejected outright. A tweet stops at 280 characters, a single SMS segment holds 160, and an Instagram caption caps out at 2,200. Seeing the count rise as you type lets you shape a message to fit rather than pasting it somewhere else just to check, then editing and pasting again.
Characters, letters and the no-spaces count
People search for a character counter, a letter counter and a way to count characters for slightly different reasons, but the numbers here cover them all. The main figure counts every character including spaces, which is what social platforms and SMS gateways measure. The characters-no-spaces figure strips out all whitespace, which some academic and style-guide limits refer to. Words, sentences and lines round out the picture for longer writing.
Meta titles, descriptions and SEO
For search engine optimisation, two limits matter most. A page title tag should stay under roughly 60 characters and a meta description under about 160, or Google truncates them with an ellipsis in the results. The live meters above turn red the moment you cross a limit, so you can write a snippet that displays in full. Because everything is calculated on your own device, you can safely paste confidential drafts, client copy or unpublished content.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text uploaded anywhere?+
No. The character counter runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Nothing you type or paste is uploaded, stored or seen by anyone — it never leaves your device, so it is safe for private or confidential text.
What is the difference between characters with and without spaces?+
Characters (with spaces) counts every character you enter, including spaces, tabs and line breaks. Characters (no spaces) ignores all whitespace. Social platforms and SMS count characters with spaces, while some style guides quote the no-spaces figure.
Do the platform limits count spaces?+
Yes. Twitter/X (280), SMS (160), Instagram captions (2200) and the meta title (60) and meta description (160) all count every character including spaces, so the live meters use the characters-with-spaces total.
How are words, sentences and lines counted?+
A word is any run of characters separated by spaces or line breaks. A sentence ends in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Lines are counted by the number of line breaks, so a single paragraph on one line counts as one line.
Why does a character count matter for SEO and social media?+
Platforms truncate text that runs past their limit. A page title over about 60 characters or a meta description over 160 gets cut off in Google, and a tweet over 280 characters simply will not post. Watching the live count lets you trim to fit before you publish.