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Character Counter

Free online character counter that calculates characters, words, lines, and bytes in real time. Supports UTF-8 byte counting and whitespace exclusion.

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How to Use

Expand how to use
  1. 1

    Enter your text

    Type or paste the text you want to count into the text area above.

  2. 2

    View real-time results

    Character count, line count, byte count, and more are calculated automatically as you type.

  3. 3

    Use additional features

    Click 'Clear' to erase the text, or 'Copy' to copy the input text to your clipboard.

About Character Counter

Character Counter is a free online tool that counts words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and bytes in real time as you type. Whether you're writing a tweet (280 characters), crafting an Instagram caption (2,200), optimizing an SEO meta description (under 155 characters), or checking SMS length (160 per segment), this tool gives you instant feedback. It shows both character counts with and without spaces, UTF-8 byte size for technical use cases, and estimated reading time.

Key Features

  • Real-time word, character, sentence, and paragraph counting
  • Character count with and without spaces
  • UTF-8 byte size for technical use cases
  • Reading time estimation

Use Cases

  • Check Twitter/X post length (280 characters)
  • Verify essay or assignment word count
  • Optimize SEO meta descriptions (under 155 characters)
  • Monitor LinkedIn post length for engagement
  • Count characters for SMS messages (160 per segment)

FAQ

How do I count words in my text?

Simply paste or type your text into the input area. The word count, character count, and other statistics update instantly in real time. No button click needed.

What's the character limit for Twitter/X?

Twitter/X allows up to 280 characters per post (140 for some regions). Use this tool to check your post length before publishing.

Does this tool count spaces as characters?

Both counts are shown: characters with spaces and characters without spaces. Most social media platforms count spaces as characters.

Is my text stored or sent to a server?

No. All counting runs as JavaScript in your browser. Text is not transmitted to any server.

How is reading time calculated?

Reading time is estimated at an average reading speed of 200-250 words per minute, which is the standard rate for adult English readers.