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Count only specific characters in your text

Type characters together, such as ae!?. Each distinct target gets its own count. A typed space is a target too.

Sometimes the total character count isn't the number you need. You might want to know how many times a letter appears, how often a punctuation mark is used, or whether a copied passage contains extra spaces. The Count only panel answers those questions while leaving your draft intact. Enter the characters together, then read each target's total and the combined matching character count.

By TechCompare · Updated

Example characters
51
Visible characters, including whitespace
Example words
9
Counting topic
Count specific characters

Calculator

Character Counter

Example text

A little editing adds clarity! A little care helps.

Characters
51
Words
9
Sentences
2
Paragraphs
1
Lines
1
No whitespace
43
Count your own text in the Character Counter. Paste a draft, set a limit, or count specific characters and phrases.
Edit in the full tool

How this is calculated

In Characters mode, the target field is a set of characters to look for, not a word or phrase. Entering cat counts c, a, and t separately. Duplicate targets are removed so entering the same letter twice doesn't double the result. Matching ignores case by default, which combines lowercase and uppercase forms. Turn on Match case to separate them. Visible character mode can treat a combined emoji as one target in supported browsers. Code point mode instead searches its components. The same mode controls the main character total. Spaces are displayed with a readable label in the results so you don't have to interpret an invisible target.

Verdict

Use character targets when each individual symbol matters. To count a whole word or phrase, switch to Words & phrases so the characters stay together. You can select a passage in the editor and choose Selected text to focus the search. The main totals remain document counts for that scope, while the custom panel reports only the requested matches. Check the per-target rows when case or punctuation matters. A combined total can hide which character appears most often, and it doesn't describe the order of the matching characters or their surrounding text.

More Counting scenarios

Characters without spaces
Compare the full character count with a count that excludes all whitespace.
View details ➜
Word counter
Count the words in a draft and understand why different editors can disagree.
View details ➜
Sentence counter
Review sentence totals without treating every punctuation mark as a new sentence.
View details ➜

Frequently asked questions

Does the character count include spaces?
Yes, the main count includes spaces, tabs, and line breaks by default. The No whitespace card excludes all of them. Open Counting options to change the main count. Windows and classic Mac line endings are normalized to one line break.
Can I count only certain characters or words?
Yes. In Count only, type characters together or enter one word or phrase per line. You can match case and choose whole words or substring matches. Duplicate targets are counted once. Matches don't overlap within one target, but separate targets can match the same text.
What's the difference between a line and a paragraph?
A line ends at a line break. Empty lines and a final line break count toward the line total. A paragraph is a nonempty block separated from the next block by a blank line. Visual wrapping in the editor doesn't add lines or paragraphs.
How are emoji, words, and sentences counted?
Visible character mode groups a complete emoji or an accented letter as one character when your browser supports it. Code point mode counts the underlying Unicode code points. Word and sentence boundaries use browser text segmentation with an English locale. Abbreviations and languages can affect counts. Older browsers use simpler fallback rules. See Unicode text segmentation for the underlying boundary concepts.
Is my text uploaded or saved?
Counting runs in your browser. This tool doesn't upload or save your text and doesn't put it or your custom search terms in the URL. Share links open an empty counter. Copy text or counts if you want to keep them before closing or reloading the tab.
Can I count just part of my text?
Select text in the editor, then choose Selected text. The counts, custom matches, writing limit, breakdown, and word frequency panel all use that selection. Choose Full text to return to the entire document.

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