CODDY Tool

Twitter Character Counter

Count X posts by weighted units, the way X actually counts them.

X's 280 limit counts weighted units, not characters: CJK text and emoji cost two, and every URL costs exactly 23 however long it is. This counter applies both rules.

Everything you enter stays in this browser tab. Nothing is sent to our servers, logged or stored.

This is one of the thingsSocial Media Character Counterdoes — open it for everything else it supports.

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What Social Media Character Counter supports

Platform

  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Threads
  • Bluesky

About Twitter Character Counter

X's limit is 280 weighted units, and the weighting is why so many counters disagree with the compose box. Characters in the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic ranges weigh 1. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, emoji and many symbols weigh 2. A post written in Japanese therefore fits about 140 characters, not 280.

URLs are the other rule. X rewrites every link through its own wrapper, so it charges a flat 23 units regardless of the real length. A 200-character URL with tracking parameters costs 23; a 15-character one also costs 23. Shortening a link before posting to X saves nothing at all.

Both rules together mean a plain character count can be wrong in either direction — telling you that you have room when you do not, or that you are over when you are comfortably under. This counter implements X's published weighting so the number matches the compose box.

How to check your post length

  1. Paste your post

    The weighted count updates as you type, with the plain character count shown alongside for comparison.

  2. Watch the URL cost

    Any link found is charged at 23 units. The number of links detected is shown so you can see where the budget went.

  3. Trim if you are over

    Remember that removing an emoji frees two units, not one.

Frequently asked questions

How many characters is a tweet?

280 weighted units. For ordinary English that works out to 280 characters, but for Japanese, Chinese, Korean or emoji-heavy text it is closer to 140, because those characters each weigh 2.

How many characters does a link use?

Exactly 23, whatever its real length. X wraps every URL in its own redirector, so the cost is fixed — and shortening a URL before posting gains you nothing.

Do emoji count as one or two?

Two, in weighted terms. Most emoji fall outside the ranges X weighs as 1. Removing one from an over-long post frees two units rather than one.

Does X Premium change the limit?

Paid tiers allow much longer posts, but the free 280 limit is what the vast majority of readers' clients display before a “show more”. Writing to 280 is still the safe default for reach.

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Twitter Character Counter is free to use with no account, no watermark and no usage limits. Last updated 14 August 2026.