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Character Counter — Count Characters Online

Count characters online — with and without spaces — while you type. This free character counter also shows words, sentences, reading time and live character limits for X, Instagram, LinkedIn and more. Everything runs in your browser; your text is never uploaded or stored.

0Characters
0Words

Privacy: this character counter runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never sent to a server and is not stored — unless you switch on autosave below.

Supports .txt, .md and .docx — the file is read in your browser, nothing is uploaded.

Off by default. When on, your text is saved in this browser's local storage and restored on your next visit. Nothing leaves your device and no cookie is used.

Counting mode

"Like Microsoft Word" counts space-separated tokens: a hyphenated word (state-of-the-art) and a date (01/15/2026) each count as one word, and standalone numbers count too. "Strict" splits hyphenated words apart and does not count pure numbers as words. This is why Word and other tools sometimes show a different number.

0
Characters (with spaces)
0
Characters (no spaces)
0
Letters
0
Digits
0
Spaces
0
Vowels
0
Consonants
0
Punctuation
0
Symbols
0
Emojis
0
Words
0
Words (no numbers)
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs
0
Lines
0 sec
Reading time
Character limit & platform presets

Platform limits

X / Twitter post
0 / 280
Instagram caption
0 / 2,200
Instagram bio
0 / 150
LinkedIn post
0 / 3,000
Facebook post
0 / 63,206
TikTok caption
0 / 2,200
YouTube title
0 / 100
YouTube description
0 / 5,000
Pinterest description
0 / 500
Google Ads headline
0 / 30
Google Ads description
0 / 90
SMS
0 / 160
Meta description
0 / 155
Title tag
0 / 60
WhatsApp status
0 / 700

As of July 2026 — limits can change. Platforms also count emojis and URLs differently: X/Twitter counts every URL as 23 characters and many emojis as 2, while Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook usually count an emoji as 1. Treat these as guidance, not a guarantee.

Character details
Bytes (UTF-8)0
UTF-16 code units0
Graphemes0
Unique words0
Avg. word length0.0
Avg. words per sentence0.0
Avg. sentences per paragraph0.0
Longest sentence0 words
Shortest sentence0 words

A grapheme is what you perceive as one character (an emoji family is one grapheme but several UTF-16 code units). Bytes matter for storage and some technical limits.

Word repetition & keyword density
Readability
Letter frequency
Sentence length distribution
Text tools
More time estimates
Pages, standard lines & standard pages

Counting characters online, the honest way

This character counter counts characters as you type — with spaces and without spaces — and updates the words, sentences and lines at the same time. Characters are counted in Unicode code points, so an emoji or an accented letter counts as one character, while the details section also shows UTF-16 code units and graphemes for technical use.

The most common question about any character counter or letter counter is why the number differs from Microsoft Word. Word counts words a specific way, and it counts characters including or excluding spaces depending on which figure you read. Use the counting-mode switch above to match the behaviour you need.

Character limit checker for X, Instagram, SMS and more

Set your own limit to see how many characters remain, or use the platform presets to check a tweet, an Instagram caption, an SMS or a meta description at a glance. The progress bar turns amber near the limit and red once you go over.

Remember that platforms count some things differently — URLs and emojis in particular — so treat the presets as a close guide rather than an exact promise.

Buchstabenzähler: what counts as a character?

As a letter counter and character counter, this tool distinguishes letters, digits, spaces, punctuation, symbols and emojis, and it flags hidden characters such as zero-width spaces and non-breaking spaces that silently inflate a count. One click cleans them up.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

Do spaces count as characters?
Yes. Spaces are characters, so the "characters (with spaces)" figure includes them. The tool also shows "characters (no spaces)", which removes spaces, tabs and line breaks — useful when a platform or brief counts one way or the other.
Are emojis counted as one character?
In the main character count, one emoji counts as one character (one Unicode code point, or one grapheme for combined emoji like a family). Technically, many emojis take two or more UTF-16 code units, which you can see in the details section. Note that social platforms often count emojis as 2 characters for their own limits.
What is the difference between characters, bytes and graphemes?
A grapheme is what a person sees as one character. A character here means one Unicode code point. A byte is a unit of storage: in UTF-8, a plain letter is one byte, but an accented letter or emoji is several. A family emoji is one grapheme, several code points, and many bytes — which is why the three numbers can differ.
Why does Microsoft Word show a different number than this tool?
Word applies its own rules: hyphenated words count as one, standalone numbers count as words, and its "characters" figure comes in two versions (with and without spaces). Switch this tool to "Like Microsoft Word" mode to match Word's word counting, or to "Strict" mode to split hyphenated words and drop pure numbers.
How do I count characters in Word, Excel or Google Docs?
In Microsoft Word, use Review → Word Count for characters with and without spaces. In Excel, the formula LEN(A1) returns the number of characters in a cell. In Google Docs, use Tools → Word count (Ctrl+Shift+C). This online tool is quicker for a quick check and works on any text you paste.
How many characters are in a tweet, an Instagram caption or an SMS?
An X/Twitter post allows 280 characters, an Instagram caption up to 2,200, and a single SMS 160 characters before it splits into multiple messages. The platform presets above check these live, but remember platforms count URLs and emojis differently.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
No. All counting happens in your browser and your text is never sent anywhere. It is only stored if you turn on the optional autosave, which uses your browser's local storage on your own device — and you can delete it at any time.
What are standard lines and standard pages?
A standard line (Normzeile) is 55 characters including spaces, and a standard page (Normseite) is 1,500 characters, i.e. 30 standard lines. They are common billing units for translators and editors. The details section shows both for your text.

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