Character counter
Paste or type your text to count characters, words, sentences and more, updated as you write.
- Characters
- 0
- Without spaces
- 0
- Words
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Lines
- 0
- Bytes (UTF-8)
- 0
- Reading time
- 0
- Speaking time
- 0
How it fits
- Social media post (280)
- Caption (2,200)
- Video title (100)
- Search result title (about 60)
- Search result description (about 155)
How to use it
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- Read the counts for characters, words, sentences, paragraphs, lines and bytes as you go.
- Check "How it fits" to see how much room is left for a post, caption, video title or search snippet.
- Click "Clear text" when you want to start over.
What it does
All the counts in one place
Characters with and without spaces, words, sentences, paragraphs, lines, and size in bytes (UTF-8).
Reading and speaking time
Estimates show how long the text takes to read and how long it takes to say aloud.
Limits at a glance
"How it fits" compares your text with a 280-character social media post, a 2,200-character caption, a 100-character video title, and search result titles and descriptions.
Survives a refresh
Your text is saved locally in this browser, so reloading the page doesn't lose it.
Nothing sent to a server
The text remains in the browser on this device and isn't sent to a server.
Good to know
Forms and assignments don't all count the same way, so match the number to the rule you're working to. Spaces are included in "Characters" and left out of "Without spaces", while essays and articles are normally judged by "Words". "Bytes (UTF-8)" matters when a database or system limits storage size rather than characters.
Use "How it fits" while you edit: each limit shows how many characters you have left or how far over you are, so you can trim a caption or a search description without counting by hand. The video title and search result title checks read only the first line of your text, so put the title on its own first line. For the post limit, Korean, Japanese and Chinese characters count double, and the search snippet figures are approximate guides. Reading and speaking time are estimates too, handy for timing a speech, a presentation or a voice-over script.
Questions and answers
Does the character count include spaces?
"Characters" includes spaces. "Without spaces" shows the count with every space left out, and both update as you type.
How do I count the words in my essay?
Paste the essay into the box and read the "Words" figure. Sentences and paragraphs are counted as well, which helps when you're checking the structure of a piece.
Is my text saved or sent anywhere?
It stays in your browser on this device. The text is saved locally so a refresh doesn't erase it, and "Clear text" removes it.
Which limits does "How it fits" check?
A 280-character social media post (where Korean, Japanese and Chinese characters count as two), a 2,200-character caption, a 100-character video title, and about 60 and 155 characters for a search result title and description, roughly half that for Korean or Japanese text.
What does "Bytes (UTF-8)" mean?
It's the size of your text when stored as UTF-8, the encoding used by most websites. Basic English letters and digits take one byte each, while accented letters, emoji and many other scripts take two to four, so the byte count can be higher than the character count.
What is speaking time useful for?
It estimates how long the text takes to read aloud, which helps you fit a speech, a toast or a presentation into a time slot.