Word Counter — Characters, Words, Bytes
TextA word counter tallies characters, words, lines, characters-without-spaces and bytes of text in real time.
What is it
Character and word counts matter for length-limited writing like bios, tweets, essays and meta descriptions. Counts with and without spaces are shown together, since platforms and application systems use different rules. The byte count reflects UTF-8 size, and all counting happens instantly in the browser.
characters = Array.from(text).length; words = whitespace-separated tokens; bytes = UTF-8 encoded length
How to use
- 1Type or paste text into the area.
- 2Character, word, line and byte stats update live.
- 3Read the stats you need.
Reference
| Context | Limit/convention |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post | 280 characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| YouTube title | 100 characters |
| Application essay | often 500–1,000 characters incl. spaces |
| Meta description | about 150–160 characters recommended |
Sources & standards
- TextEncoder - MDN Web Docs
FAQ
Are spaces counted?
"Characters" includes spaces; "without spaces" excludes them.
How is the byte count computed?
As UTF-8 byte length; CJK characters are typically 3 bytes each.
Do essay limits include spaces?
Most application systems count characters including spaces, but rules vary. This tool shows both counts so you can check either standard.
How are words counted?
Text is split on whitespace and the tokens are counted.