Why characters, not words
Anywhere a computer enforces a limit, it counts characters. Search engines truncate page titles on width. SMS gateways split messages at 160 characters. App stores reject a short description over 80. Word count is for humans; character count is for systems.
The limits shown above
- SEO title — 60 characters. Search results truncate on pixel width rather than character count, so a title full of capitals may cut earlier. Treat 60 as a guide and check a preview if you are close.
- Meta description — 155 characters. Beyond this, search engines cut with an ellipsis.
- SMS — 160 characters. One emoji or accented character switches the message to a different encoding and drops the limit to 70.
- Google Play short description — 80 characters. A hard limit, enforced at submission.
What counts as a character
Everything: letters, digits, punctuation, spaces, and line breaks. The “without spaces” figure removes spaces, tabs and newlines, which is the number most academic and translation work is priced and measured by.
Emoji are a special case. Many are made of several code points joined together — a single family emoji can count as 7 or more. This tool reports what JavaScript reports, which is what most systems that impose limits will also see.
Common questions
Is my text uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser on this page.
Do line breaks count?
Yes, each line break is one character. In SMS this matters — a message that looks like it fits can go over because of them.
What if I need a live word count too?
Use the Word Counter, which gives words, sentences, paragraphs and reading time alongside the character figures.