College applications
Portals often cap activity descriptions and short answers by characters. Trim here first, since a sentence cut off mid-word is easy to miss.
Step by step
How to use the character counter
Paste your text
Type or paste anything from a caption to a full essay. Punctuation and line breaks count too. If you upload a file instead, it goes to our server once so its text can be read, and the file is not kept.
Read both totals
The large number counts spaces. Under Counts you also get the total without them.
Glance at words and lines
Words and lines sit in the same list, in case a word limit applies too.
Check the platform limits
Under Platform limits, each row shows the room left and turns red once you go over.
Trim and watch
Every figure updates as you type. Cut a clause and watch the remainder move.
Copy it back
Paste the text where it belongs, as plain text if you can.
What counts
What a character count includes
Every letter, digit, punctuation mark and space is a character, and so is a symbol like # or @. Textlume counts what you see, so a flag or family emoji built from several hidden parts counts as one, and so does an é typed as a letter plus an accent mark. A line break counts as one.
Some apps count those hidden parts instead, and X counts each emoji as 2. That is how a caption that looked fine gets cut off. When you are a few characters from a limit, check the destination's own count too.
Spaces
Character count with spaces or without
The with-spaces total is the full length of your text. It is what most forms and social apps measure.
The without-spaces total drops all whitespace. That includes tabs and line breaks. Some translators quote by it, and some schools and publishers set lengths this way. If a brief only says characters, ask. Writing to the with-spaces number is safer, since it is the larger one.
Letters vs characters
Letters or characters?
People often search for a letter counter when they need a character counter. Letters are only the alphabetic part of a text. Characters add everything else, from digits and punctuation to every space.
Words are another unit again. Two sentences with the same word count can differ widely in characters. When the limit is in words, use the word counter.
Limits
Common character limits
Typical limits for short text, and what to check before you post.
| Limit | What to watch | |
|---|---|---|
| X post | 280 characters per post, spaces included | X counts every link as 23 characters and most emoji as 2, so its count can run higher than ours. |
| Instagram caption | Up to 2,200 characters, spaces included | Hashtags and emoji count too. A long caption is cut short in the feed until someone taps to read more. |
| Page title in Google | No fixed count. Google shortens long titles to fit the results page. | Put the search words first. |
| Meta description | No fixed limit. Google trims the snippet to fit the screen. | Lead with the main point. |
| Text message (SMS) | 160 plain characters fit in one message, or 70 once it holds an emoji or another special character. Longer texts are sent in parts of 153 or 67. | This counter doesn't count SMS parts. One emoji or curly quote can switch the whole message to the shorter limit. |
Real uses
When the character count matters
Social posts and bios
Check a post or caption against Platform limits while you write, and shorten until the row shows room to spare.
Product titles and snippets
Store listings and meta descriptions reward a short line with the key words first.
Text messages
A long appointment reminder gets split into parts. One part reads better and, where billing is per part, costs less.
Translation quotes
Agencies often price by characters without spaces, so that total is the figure the quote rests on.
Try it
A quick test with spaces
Type “ice cream” and you get 9 characters with spaces and 8 without. Delete the space and only the first number drops. Add a period and both go up by one. Add a red heart emoji and both rise by one more, even though that heart is stored as two code points.
Before you count
Fix the draft, then count it
Tidy a short post
The grammar checker fixes spelling and punctuation, and the paraphrasing tool rephrases a sentence that runs long. Then count again.
Cut a long draft down
The summarizer pulls the key points out of a long report. The AI humanizer reworks stiff, generated-sounding sentences.
Check an essay
The AI detector gives a likely range for how AI-like the writing reads, with a confidence rating. For a word limit, use the word counter.
Other tools
Try another tool on the same text
AI detectorMarks each sentence as AI-like or human-like and gives the whole text a range and a confidence rating.AI humanizerRewrites stiff AI drafts into plainer prose and checks that numbers, names and quotations come through.Grammar checkerFinds spelling, grammar and punctuation errors and lets you fix them one by one or all at once.SummarizerCuts a long text to a short, medium or long summary, or pulls out its key sentences.Paraphrasing toolSays the same thing in new words, in the mode you pick, from fluent to formal.Word counterCounts words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, with reading and speaking time.Plagiarism checkerFor finding which of your sentences already appear on public web pages, with a link to each source.
How do I count characters in my text?
Paste it into the box at the top of this page. The large number is your total with spaces, and the total without spaces sits under Counts. Paste the exact final version, punctuation included, then compare the figure with your limit before you copy the text out.
What does characters without spaces mean?
It is the length of your text with all whitespace taken out. Tabs and line breaks go too. Letters and punctuation stay in. Some translators quote by it. Use it only when the brief asks, since most forms and apps count spaces.
How many characters are in a word?
There is no fixed number. “I” is one character and “accountability” is fourteen, so a word count can't give you a character total. If your limit is in characters, count the actual text, especially when it is full of names or long technical terms.
How are emoji and accented letters counted?
Each counts as one here. The counter goes by what you see, so a flag or a thumbs-up with a skin tone is one character, and an accented letter is one however it is stored. A line break is one with spaces and none without. X counts most emoji as 2.
How many characters can an X post have?
A standard X post can have 280 characters, spaces included. X counts every link as 23 characters and most emoji as 2, so a post that fits here can still run over in the X composer. X Premium subscribers can post up to 25,000 characters.
What is the difference between a character counter and a word counter?
A character counter measures everything you type, spaces included. A word counter measures words. Characters suit captions and form fields. Words suit essays and reports. For a longer draft, Textlume's word counter also shows reading time and your most repeated words.
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, in the main total. A space takes room in a text box like any letter. Textlume also shows a total without spaces, which leaves out tabs and line breaks too. If an instruction only says “characters”, assume spaces count unless you are told otherwise.
Is the character counter free?
Free, with no cap on how much text you count or how often, and no account needed. The Textlume character counter runs in your browser, so you can paste a single post or a whole thesis chapter and every figure updates as you type.
Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
Text you type or paste is counted in your browser and stays there. If you use Upload file, the file goes to our server once so its text can be read, and the file is not kept. To keep everything on your device, paste the text instead.
What is the difference between characters and letters?
Letters are the alphabetic part of a text, A to Z plus accented letters like é or ñ. Characters cover those plus everything else you can type, spaces included. When a form or brief says characters, it means that full total, not letters alone.
Working to a word limit?
The word counter adds sentence counts and reading time. It's free too, with no cap.