About the Character Counter
Character limits are everywhere: a tweet at 280, an SMS at 160 (or 70 with any non-Latin character), a meta description, a database column. This counter breaks down the input into characters, UTF-16 code units, UTF-8 bytes, characters without spaces, letters, digits, spaces and punctuation, so you can match whichever kind of limit applies. It updates live.
It also shows how many tweet characters remain and how many SMS segments the message would use, switching to the 70-character limit automatically when a non-GSM character is present. Byte count matters when a field limit is in bytes rather than characters, which is common in databases and protocols.
For words, sentences and reading time, use the Word Counter; to reveal hidden characters that inflate a count, the Invisible Characters tool.
How to use
- Type or paste text.
- Read the counts and remaining tweet characters.
- Check the byte count against a field limit.
Common questions
- Why are characters and code units different?
- Characters above U+FFFF, such as emoji, take two UTF-16 code units. Some systems count code units, so both are shown.
- How is the SMS segment count worked out?
- 160 characters per segment for plain GSM text, 70 if any non-GSM character (such as an emoji) is present.
- Which count does Twitter use?
- Roughly the character count, though Twitter weights some characters differently. The remaining-tweet figure uses 280 characters.