Word Counts, Character Counts and Text Limits
Understand why a browser count may differ from the limit shown by a publishing platform.
Start with the text you will publish
Paste the final text, including headings, captions or spaces that belong in the submission. A draft with a title removed may have a different count from the version you send. The counter runs in your browser; it does not upload the pasted text to the site’s application server.
Words and characters answer different questions
A word limit usually concerns text length in words. A character limit includes individual characters and may include spaces. The tool shows separate figures so that you can choose the one that matches the destination’s rule. Check whether line breaks or leading spaces are included in the final submission.
Different systems can count differently
A hyphenated expression, an emoji sequence or a language without spaces may be treated differently by another editor. Unicode characters can contain multiple underlying code points. A platform may also count bytes or use a weighted length rather than the plain displayed count.
Reading time is only an estimate
A reading-time figure assumes a general pace; technical passages, unfamiliar language and screen readers can change it. Use it for rough planning rather than measuring a reader’s ability. For a strict platform limit, paste the final version into that platform and check its own counter before submitting.