Character Counter
Count characters, words, sentences, and paragraphs in real-time. Check Twitter/X limits, SMS length, and more.
About this calculator
Count characters, words, sentences and paragraphs in real time and compare the length with common limits such as X (Twitter) posts and SMS messages. Buttons let you clear the box or paste from the clipboard.
Counting runs as you type, so you can trim a paragraph until it fits. Nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Type or paste the text.
- Read the counts as they update.
- Edit until you hit your target length.
What is counted
Characters counts every character including spaces. Characters without spaces skips spaces. Words are runs of non-space characters separated by whitespace. Sentences are counted by the full stops, question marks and exclamation marks that end them. Paragraphs are blocks separated by blank lines. Reading time uses about 238 words per minute and speaking time about 130.
Worked example
Text: Hello world. This is a test.
| Characters | 28 |
| Words | 6 |
| Sentences | 2 |
| Paragraphs | 1 |
Everything runs in your browser. Your text is not uploaded or stored.
Tips and common mistakes
- Check the limit of the platform: X posts 280, SMS 160, Google Ads headlines 30, meta descriptions about 155.
- Spaces count as characters on most platforms but not in some academic limits. Check which one applies.
- For essays, aim for the word count, not the character count.
- Emoji and some non-English characters count as two characters on some platforms.
- Use the reading time to plan blog posts: 1,000 words is about four minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I count words in a text?
Paste it in the box. The count updates as you type.
Are spaces counted as characters?
Yes in the main count; a separate figure excludes spaces.
How many words is 500 characters?
Roughly 80 to 100 words, since average English words are 5 letters plus a space.
What is the Twitter/X character limit?
280 for standard posts.
How long should a meta description be?
Around 150 to 160 characters.
Is my text stored?
No, counting runs in your browser.