Under the counts you will find live meters for common limits, so you can tell at a glance whether your text fits a post, a caption, a text message or a search snippet.
How TallyWords counts
Words are runs of letters or numbers; contractions and hyphenated words count once. Characters are counted as you see them, so an emoji or an accented letter is one character. Sentences end at a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark or ellipsis, and paragraphs are separated by blank lines.
Readability uses the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning Fog formulas. Reading time assumes 238 words per minute and speaking time 150 words per minute. Platform meters use each network's own counting rules where they differ from a plain character count.
Private by design
TallyWords has no server-side processing. Your text stays in this browser tab and in an autosave on this device only. Clear it at any time with the Clear button.
Frequently asked questions
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, in most limits spaces count. That is why the tool shows both numbers: characters including spaces for platform limits, and characters without spaces for assignments that ask for it.
How are emoji counted?
The main counter treats each visible emoji as one character. Some platforms count differently; X counts most emoji as two, which the X meter accounts for.
Do line breaks count?
Yes. A line break is a character in nearly every system, including social networks and SMS, so it is included in the totals.
Does TallyWords work offline?
Once the page has loaded, all counting and cleanup works without a connection, because nothing depends on a server.
Is TallyWords free?
Yes. Every tool is free with no sign-up and no limits on text length.