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WebToolsHQ
Free Tool

Character Counter

Instantly count characters, words, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time. Check live progress bars for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more.

infoResults appear instantly as you type — nothing is sent to a server.

analyticsStatistics

Characters (with spaces)0
Characters (without spaces)0
Words0
Sentences0
Paragraphs0
Lines0
menu_bookReading time—@ 200 wpm
micSpeaking time—@ 130 wpm

bar_chartPlatform limits0 chars

tagTwitter / X(280)
280 left
manage_searchMeta description(160)
160 left
smsSMS(160)
160 left
smart_displayYouTube title(100)
100 left
photo_cameraInstagram caption(2,200)
2,200 left
workLinkedIn post(3,000)
3,000 left

infoBars turn amber at 80% and red when the limit is exceeded.

About Character Counter

About This Character Counter

Paste or type any text and this free tool instantly counts every metric you need — characters (with and without spaces), words, sentences, paragraphs, lines, estimated reading time, and speaking time. Results update live as you type, so there's nothing to submit.

Platform Limits at a Glance

The platform limits section shows colour-coded progress bars for the most common character limits: Twitter/X posts (280), SMS messages (160), Meta descriptions (160), YouTube titles (100), Instagram captions (2,200), and LinkedIn posts (3,000). Each bar turns amber at 80% capacity and red the moment you exceed the limit, so you can trim copy before you publish.

Who Is This For?

  • Copywriters crafting social media captions and ad copy
  • SEO professionals writing meta descriptions and title tags
  • Developers testing input validation and truncation logic
  • Students checking essay or abstract word limits
  • Anyone who needs a quick, distraction-free word count
Got questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about our tools. Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us.

How does the character counter work?

Simply type or paste your text into the box and the results update instantly. The counter tracks characters (with and without spaces), words, sentences, paragraphs, and lines in real time — no button to press.

Does it count spaces as characters?

Both counts are shown side by side: "Characters (with spaces)" includes every character including spaces, while "Characters (without spaces)" strips all whitespace before counting. Use the one that matches your target platform.

How is reading time calculated?

Reading time is based on the average adult reading speed of 200 words per minute. Speaking time uses 130 words per minute, which is a comfortable presentation pace. Both figures round up to the nearest second.

How are words counted?

Words are counted by splitting the text on whitespace and filtering out empty segments. Hyphenated words (e.g. "well-known") count as one word.

How are sentences counted?

Sentences are detected by periods, exclamation marks, and question marks followed by a space or end of string. This gives a reasonable estimate for standard prose.

How are paragraphs counted?

A paragraph is any block of text separated by one or more blank lines (double line breaks). A single block of text with no blank lines counts as one paragraph.

Which platform character limits are shown?

The platform limits section shows progress bars for Twitter/X (280), Meta description (160), SMS (160), YouTube title (100), Instagram caption (2,200), and LinkedIn post (3,000). Each bar turns amber at 80% capacity and red when the limit is exceeded.

Is my text stored or sent anywhere?

No. All counting happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is ever sent to a server or stored.