Twitter Character Limit Explained: How X Counts Emoji, Links and Languages
X's limit is 280, but not every character counts as one. How X weighs emoji, links, Chinese, Japanese and Korean text, what Premium changes, and how to split long text so each post fits.
The character limit on X (Twitter) is 280 per post. That's the short answer. The longer answer is why your post can show "-6" in the composer when a normal character counter says 274: X doesn't count every character as one.
This guide explains exactly how X counts, what changes with Premium, and what to do when your text is too long.
The limits at a glance
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| A normal post, reply, or each post in a thread | 280 |
| A long post (X Premium only) | 25,000 |
| Display name | 50 |
| Bio | 160 |
| Username (handle) | 15 |
Every post in a thread is a normal post, so each one has the 280 limit, even for Premium accounts.
How X counts characters
X uses a weighted count:
| What you type | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Letters, digits and punctuation in most alphabets: English and other Latin languages, Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi (Devanagari), Thai | 1 each |
| Spaces and line breaks | 1 each |
| Curly quotes, dashes and a few other common punctuation marks | 1 each |
| Each emoji (even complex ones like 👨👩👧👦, flags, or skin tones) | 2 |
| Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters | 2 each |
| Most other symbols, such as … → ★ ✓ | 2 each |
| Any link, however long or short | 23 |
A few consequences:
- A post written entirely in Japanese, Chinese or Korean fits about 140 characters, because each one counts as two.
- Links cost 23 no matter what. A 150-character URL costs the same as
bit.ly/x, so don't bother shortening links to save space. And a bare domain likeexample.comalso counts as a link. - The "…" character costs 2, while three dots
...cost 3. Not a big deal, but it's why a counter that treats "…" as one character can be off. - Emoji are 2 each, but a family emoji made of several people still counts as one emoji: 2.
- Mentions and hashtags count as normal text.
@usernameand#topicuse one per character. - Images, videos and GIFs don't count toward the 280.
To check a post before publishing, paste it into our Twitter character counter. It runs twitter-text, the open-source library X itself uses for counting, so its number matches the composer.
What X Premium changes
Premium subscribers can publish a single long post of up to 25,000 characters. It shows in the feed as a preview with a "Show more" link.
A long post is not a thread, though. Readers can only like or repost it as a whole, and it only shows its first few lines in the feed. Many writers still prefer threads for reach, because every post in a thread can be liked, quoted and reposted on its own. We compare the two in how to make a Twitter thread.
What to do when your text is too long
You have three options:
- Cut it down. If you're only a few characters over, tighten a sentence, swap "…" for "...", or remove a link and put it in a reply.
- Post it as a thread. Split the text into several posts that each fit under 280.
- Use a long post, if you have Premium and don't need the reach of a thread.
For option 2, the thread maker splits your text for you using the same counting rules. It ends each post at a sentence end or line break when one is close, never cuts a link, and adds numbering like (1/6) inside the limit.
Frequently asked questions
Does a space count as a character on X? Yes, spaces and line breaks count as 1 each.
Is the limit different for replies? No. Replies have the same 280 limit as normal posts.
Why does X say I'm over the limit when my counter says I'm not? Your post probably has emoji, a link, CJK characters or symbols like "…". Each of those counts more than a normal counter assumes (or, for long links, less). Use a counter that follows X's rules, like this one.
Was the limit always 280? No. It was 140 until late 2017, when it doubled to 280 for most languages. Chinese, Japanese and Korean kept an effective limit of about 140 characters because of the double weighting.