Twitter Character Counter
X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) counts characters in a specific way: every URL, no matter how long or short, is weighted as 23 characters because the platform shortens it internally. This counter mirrors that rule. Paste your draft, and the running total shows weighted characters used, characters remaining, and how many URLs were detected and replaced with the 23-character equivalent.
How the weighting works
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Paste your post
Everything you write is counted; URLs are detected by a regex matching `http://` and `https://`.
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URLs are replaced with 23 characters
Each URL — whether it is `x.com` or a 200-character tracking link — weighs the same 23 characters X would apply.
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See the weighted total
Displayed as `weighted / 280` so you can see how much room remains.
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Trim until it fits
Anything under 280 fits. Anything over is rejected by the platform.
What each X feature costs
| Element | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Regular Latin letter | 1 character |
| Most accented characters | 1 character |
| CJK character (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) | 2 characters |
| Emoji | 2 characters |
| Any URL (short or long) | 23 characters |
Mention (@name) |
As-written length |
Hashtag (#tag) |
As-written length |
| Image, GIF, video attached | 0 characters (does not count toward the 280 limit) |
Premium / long-form posts
- Free accounts: 280 characters per post. Hard cap.
- Premium accounts: up to 25,000 characters (also called Twitter Articles / long-form tweets). The 280 figure still matters for reach — short posts hit the For You algorithm harder than long ones.
- Replies: same 280 limit for free accounts.
- DMs: 10,000 characters.
This counter targets the 280 free-tier limit because that is the one that bites. If you are on Premium and writing long-form, count separately.
Tips
- Every URL is worth 23 characters, so using a short link does not save you anything — it actually costs more because the shortener adds branding.
- CJK scripts count double in the weighted total. A 140-character post of kanji is the same “weight” as a 280-character English post.
- Numbers and punctuation are always 1 character.
- Attached media is free. Use images and GIFs instead of long explanations.
Frequently Asked Questions
X automatically wraps every URL in its t.co shortener when the post goes out, so it measures every URL as 23 characters regardless of the original length.
Two. X uses a Unicode code-point count that treats most emojis as 2. Complex emojis (flags, skin-tone modifiers) can count as more.
It targets the 280-character limit. For long-form posts just ignore the remaining count — you have plenty of room.
Probably an extra newline or trailing space in the compose box that you did not paste here. Copy-paste both ways to diff.
No. Counting runs locally; your draft never leaves the browser.