Character Count Checker
Count characters and words in any text to stay within meta tag, ad copy, and social media character limits.
Desktop truncation point
Characters remaining
160
/ 160
0 of 160 used
Character breakdown
With spaces
0
Without spaces
0
Letters
0
Numbers
0
Spaces
0
Punctuation
0
Line breaks
0
Words
0
Character Limits by Platform
A cheat sheet of character caps on the platforms you actually write for.
| Platform / Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google title tag | 60 | Truncated around 60 chars in search results |
| Google meta description | 160 | Desktop truncation point |
| Twitter / X post | 280 | Hard limit enforced by the platform |
| Twitter / X bio | 160 | Profile description field |
| Facebook post (full) | 477 | Beyond this shows 'See more' |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | Hard limit on captions |
| Instagram bio | 150 | Profile bio limit |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | Feed post character limit |
| LinkedIn headline | 220 | Profile headline field |
| YouTube video title | 100 | Hard limit for video titles |
| YouTube description | 5,000 | Full description field |
| TikTok caption | 2,200 | Caption character limit |
| SMS (single message) | 160 | Beyond this splits into multiple messages |
| Email subject line | 60 | Mobile inbox truncation |
| Google Ad headline | 30 | Per headline field |
| Google Ad description | 90 | Per description field |
| Meta Ad primary text | 125 | Optimal display without truncation |
What Is a Character Count and When Does It Matter?
Character count is the total number of individual characters in a piece of text, including letters, numbers, punctuation, spaces, and line breaks. It matters whenever you are writing for a platform with a hard cap or a truncation point. Google cuts off meta descriptions over 160 characters with an ellipsis, stripping your call to action. Twitter refuses posts over 280. SMS messages over 160 characters get split into multiple billable messages. Google Ads rejects headlines over 30 characters outright.
Unlike word count, which fluctuates based on how you phrase something, character count is unforgiving. A single extra word might push you 15 characters over the Twitter limit. Knowing your exact count while you write lets you tighten without cutting the message. Writers who work within constraints consistently produce cleaner, more effective copy than writers with unlimited room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about character limits for SEO and social previews.
