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Check a character or word limit as you type

The writing limit follows the current count and scope. Select Characters or Words, then check the remaining allowance.

A writing limit checker shows how much room is left while you edit. Enter the maximum in Writing limit, then choose Characters or Words. The tool displays the remaining allowance and a progress bar. If the draft goes over, it shows the amount to remove. You can use your own limit without relying on a preset that might not match the instructions for your destination.

By TechCompare · Updated

Example characters
72
Visible characters, including whitespace
Example words
11
Counting topic
Check a writing limit

Calculator

Character Counter

Example text

A clear draft says what matters without using every available character.

Characters
72
Words
11
Sentences
1
Paragraphs
1
Lines
1
No whitespace
62
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

For a character limit, the total follows your character mode and whitespace setting. Visible characters and code points can differ when emoji or combining marks are present. Excluding whitespace lowers the total by removing spaces, tabs, and line breaks from the calculation. For a word limit, the tool uses its word segmentation total instead. Selected text changes the limit's scope along with every other panel. That lets you inspect one answer inside a larger draft, but it also means the progress bar no longer describes the whole document until you return to Full text. The maximum must be a positive whole number.

Verdict

Read the destination's instructions first and set the same unit here. Use the checker to guide editing, then paste the final draft into the actual form for a final check. A form can count emoji or whitespace differently. When you need to cut length, remove repeated setup and unnecessary wording before deleting details that answer the question. If the task has a minimum as well as a maximum, check that requirement separately because this panel tracks a maximum only. Copy the text before reloading or closing the tab. The counter doesn't save your draft automatically.

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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