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Character Counter

Live character count against any limit you choose.

Use the Character Counter tool

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What this character counter does

Character Counter tracks the exact length of your text and compares it with a limit you set. It is useful for social posts, SMS messages, page titles, meta descriptions and any form with a hard cap.

The count uses JavaScript string length, which counts characters the same way most web forms and APIs do. Emoji outside the basic plane count as two units, which is exactly how many platforms measure them.

Why use it

  • Stay inside a platform limit before pasting a post.
  • Keep a meta description short enough to avoid truncation.
  • See how much room remains while editing a headline.

How to use it

  1. 1Type or paste the text.
  2. 2Set the character limit you are targeting.
  3. 3Read the remaining count; negative values mean you are over.

Worked examples

Social post

Input

A 240-character post with a 280-character limit

Output

40 characters remaining

Meta description

Input

A description of 172 characters

Output

12 characters over a 160-character target

Common mistakes

  • Counting words instead of characters when a platform enforces a character cap.
  • Forgetting that links may be shortened or expanded by the platform, changing the count.
  • Assuming a limit of 280 means 280 visible glyphs; complex emoji can use several units.

Frequently asked questions

Does the limit include spaces?
Yes. The count includes spaces and line breaks, because that is how most platforms measure length. The word counter tool shows a separate count without spaces.
How are emoji counted?
As JavaScript measures strings: emoji outside the basic multilingual plane count as two units. Platforms may apply their own weighting on top.
Can I count only selected text?
Paste just that section into the box. The counters always reflect the whole textarea.

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