Twitter Character Counter

What is the Twitter Character Counter?

The Twitter Character Counter is a free tool that counts a post the way X does, not the way a word processor does. Every link counts as 23 characters, each emoji and each Chinese, Japanese or Korean character counts as 2, and the total is checked against X's 280-character limit as you type.

How to use the Twitter Character Counter

1. Type or paste your post into Your post, or press Try an example to see a post with a link, emoji and Japanese text.
2. Read the count out of 280 and the line under it: Fits in one post, or how many characters over the limit you are.
3. Check Remaining, Characters, Counted by X, Links, Emoji and Valid post to see where the count comes from.
4. Edit until it fits, then press Copy text and paste the post into X.

How does X count emojis, links and CJK characters?

X weighs characters rather than counting them one by one. Latin letters, digits and common punctuation count as 1. Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters, and most other scripts, count as 2. Every emoji counts as 2, including emoji built from several code points, such as a family or a skin tone.

Every link counts as 23 characters however long it is, because X wraps links in its own short link. A long URL and a short one cost the same.

What doesn't count toward the character limit?

Attached photos, videos and GIFs count as 0 characters. The @mentions X adds automatically when you reply in a thread do not count either, though any mention you type yourself does.

Hashtags count as ordinary text, # included. That is why Characters and Counted by X can differ: the first is what you would count by eye, the second is what X checks against 280.

Do spaces count in the Twitter character limit?

Yes. Every space and every line break counts as one character. A post with short lines and blank lines between them uses more of the 280 than the same words in one paragraph.

The counter includes them, so the number you see is the number X will check.