• Characters: Total count including spaces
• Bytes: UTF-8 encoding size
• Reading time: Based on 250 words per minute
📝 What Is a Character Counter?
A character counter is a tool that instantly calculates the number of characters, words, sentences, paragraphs, and bytes in your text. It is essential for checking platform character limits like Twitter (280 characters), Instagram captions (2,200 characters), and YouTube titles (100 characters). It also helps optimize SEO meta tags by ensuring your title stays under 60 characters and your description within 155-160 characters.
📊 Common Platform Character Limits
Twitter (X): 280 characters
Instagram Caption: 2,200 characters
YouTube Title: 100 characters (recommended 60)
Facebook Post: 63,206 characters (recommended under 250)
LinkedIn Post: 3,000 characters
SEO Title Tag: ~60 characters
SEO Meta Description: 155-160 characters
💡 Understanding Byte Size
Different characters use different amounts of storage. In UTF-8 encoding, English letters and numbers use 1 byte each, while characters from other scripts (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.) typically use 3 bytes. Emojis can use 4 bytes. This is important when working with database field limits, API payload sizes, or SMS messages (160 characters for standard SMS, 70 for Unicode).
Frequently Asked Questions
Are spaces included in the character count?▼
Yes, spaces are included by default. The tool also shows character count without spaces, so you can use whichever metric you need.
How are words counted?▼
Words are counted by splitting text on whitespace. Consecutive spaces are treated as a single separator. Hyphenated words count as one word.
Is my text sent to any server?▼
No, all counting is done locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device, ensuring complete privacy.