Respect a word or character limit
Published · Updated 3 min read
A limit of 500 characters or 300 words seems simple, but the same text gives several totals depending on how you count: with or without spaces, with accents or emoji, with line breaks. That is why a form sometimes refuses a text that your word processor judged short enough.
The numbers the tool gives
Count words shows six numbers live as you type, and a detailed result after the Process button. Both always give the same totals.
| Number | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Words | Groups of characters separated by spaces |
| Characters | The characters you see, spaces included |
| Without spaces | The characters, without spaces or line breaks |
| Lines | The lines, empty ones included |
| Paragraphs | The blocks separated by an empty line |
| Reading | The estimated time, at 220 words per minute, rounded up to the next minute |
What a word is
Each group of characters between two spaces counts as one word, including a single sign such as "%". Hyphens, apostrophes and slashes therefore do not split a word: "peut-être" and "c'est-à-dire" are worth one each.
| Text | Words |
|---|---|
| Aujourd’hui, c’est l’été : peut-être 12,5 % de plus. | 9 |
| L’été d’aujourd’hui, c’est-à-dire demain. | 4 |
| rendez-vous 10-12 mars, et/ou 3×4 ; www.exemple.fr/page-1 | 7 |
| 1 234,56 € et 3.14 | 5 |
Spaces and tabs
Multiple spaces and tabs count as characters. The text "un deux" followed by two tabs, "trois" and two spaces counts 3 words and 18 characters, 11 of them without spaces.
Accented letters and emoji
A character is a sign as you see it. An "é" written in two parts, the letter then the accent, counts as one character on screen. Many forms count something else, though: the units of JavaScript length, also called UTF-16.
| Text | Characters | UTF-16 units |
|---|---|---|
| « été » avec accents décomposés | 3 | 5 |
| « Bravo 👨👩👧 ? » (emoji famille) | 9 | 16 |
The detailed result shows both. If a form refuses a text that the tool judges short enough, compare with the UTF-16 units line.
Line breaks
A Windows line break is written with two signs. A text made of "Un", "Deux", an empty line, "Trois" counts 4 lines, 2 paragraphs, 14 characters and 17 UTF-16 units: each line break weighs 1 character on screen and 2 units.
Chinese, Japanese and Thai
These writing systems use no spaces between words. The browser then splits the text: the Chinese sentence "今天天气很好，我们去公园。" gives 6 words and 13 characters. This splitting is an estimate, to confirm with the form's rule when the limit is strict.
Why a form shows another total
- It counts UTF-16 units, not visible characters.
- It counts each line break as two signs.
- It counts the spaces, or on the contrary ignores them.
- It splits words differently, for example at hyphens.
The text may also contain extra spaces. Clean up a text before publishing it explains how to remove them.
For which limits
An application, a description message, a summary, an advertisement or a form field: limits on words or characters are counted in different ways.
Check a limit
- Paste the text into the tool.
- Spot the number that matches the rule: words, characters or characters without spaces.
- Keep a margin if the form counts differently, and test it by pasting the final text.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my form count more characters than the tool?
- It may count UTF-16 units, line breaks as two signs or spaces. Compare with the UTF-16 units line of the detailed result.
- Do hyphens split words?
- No. "peut-être" and "c'est-à-dire" each count as one word.
- How do you count words in Chinese or Japanese?
- These writing systems have no spaces. The browser splits the text, which gives an estimate.
- At what speed is the reading time estimated?
- At 220 words per minute, rounded up to the next minute.