Character and word counter

A character counter counts, in real time, every letter, number, space, punctuation mark and emoji in your text. It helps you stay within each social network's limit, write titles and meta descriptions at the exact length, and estimate how long a reader will take to reach the end. One rule applies almost everywhere: whatever goes past the limit disappears, so the main message has to come first.

What this tool measures

• Characters: the total count, including spaces, punctuation and emoji. This is the number social networks use to cut text.
• Characters without spaces: useful for forms and limits that ignore whitespace.
• Words: separated by spaces, the right metric for articles, captions and emails.
• Sentences and paragraphs: help you judge rhythm and how scannable the text is.
• Reading time: an estimate in minutes, calculated at 200 words per minute.

Character limits by social network

Every social network and every search snippet has a ceiling. Going over it gets your text cut with an ellipsis or rejected on publish. More important than the ceiling is the visible cutoff: the part that shows before the “more” button or before the feed truncates it. Use the table below as a quick reference and always write for the visible space, not for the maximum limit.

The first-lines rule

In the feed, almost no one taps “more”. So the hook, the promise and the keyword need to sit in the first lines, before the cutoff. On Instagram, only about 125 characters show before the button; on TikTok and LinkedIn, the first two lines do the work. Leave hashtags for the end and favor 3 to 5 precise ones (Instagram's technical limit is 30, but a few relevant tags usually beat many generic ones).

• Instagram: hook in the first 125 characters, CTA at the end, link in bio.
• X (Twitter): 280 characters total, but posts of 71 to 100 tend to engage more.
• TikTok: the first 2 lines decide the tap; describe the video instead of repeating the audio.
• LinkedIn: 140 to 200 characters show before “see more”; open with a strong line.
• YouTube: the title allows up to 100 characters, but use around 60 so it does not trim on mobile.

Meta title and meta description on Google

In search results, Google shows the title at around 60 characters and the meta description at around 160; anything beyond that is cut with an ellipsis. Write the title with the main keyword right at the start and a clear promise. In the meta description, sum up the page in 150 to 160 characters and give a reason to click. Neither one is a direct ranking factor, yet both influence click-through rate, and more clicks help the page hold its place in search.

How to count emoji and special characters

Each emoji counts as at least one character, and some compound emoji (like families or skin tones) count as two or more. This tool counts by code point, the method closest to what social networks apply. Accented letters, ç and symbols each count as one character. Keep in mind that emoji take up more visual space than a letter, so use them with intent in titles and short bios.

How we calculate reading time

Reading time is the number of words divided by an average reading speed, which we set at 200 words per minute, a common pace for online text. A 500-word post takes about 2.5 minutes; a 1,000-word article, close to 5 minutes. The estimate helps you size articles, emails and scripts and set the right expectation for readers.