Twitter Character Counter & Thread Splitter
X does not count characters the way a word processor does. This counter uses X's own rules — every link counts as 23 characters, most emoji count as 2 — and when a draft runs past 280, it splits it into a numbered thread instead of letting it truncate.
0 / 280 · 280 left
Count it the way X counts it
Paste or type your draft and the counter scores it live: total weighted characters, characters remaining, and a per-part breakdown when a link is inflating your count. A pasted URL shows as its real cost — 23 characters no matter how long it looks — and emoji count double, exactly as X weighs them. Go over 280 and the splitter takes over: it breaks the draft at sentence boundaries into numbered tweets (1/, 2/, 3/…), shows each tweet's own count, and lets you copy the thread one tweet at a time or all at once. Your wording is never rewritten — splitting only chooses where one tweet ends and the next begins.
Why AutoTweet gives the counter away
AutoTweet exists to post for you: AI drafts in your voice, autopilot publishes them on your schedule (Pro, $29/mo — 12 posts a day, a 500-post queue). Automation is only trustworthy if nothing it sends is silently broken, and the classic automation failure is a draft that looked fine in an editor and posted truncated, or a thread that snapped mid-sentence. This counter is the pre-flight check we run our own drafts through, published free. If you would rather not check by hand, the product checks for you — every queued post is counted and fitted before its slot. Start on the free Starter plan (manual scheduling, 5 queue slots, free forever) or try full Pro free for 2 days, no credit card.
Honest limits
The counter mirrors X's published weighting rules, including the 23-character link cost and the standard emoji weighting. A few exotic Unicode sequences are weighed approximately, and X can change its rules — when a draft sits within a couple of characters of the limit, leave yourself a small buffer. The tool runs entirely in your browser: nothing you paste is uploaded, stored, or used to train anything.
Worked examples: drafts that secretly overflow
Three labeled example drafts, counted both ways. Example one: a cafe owner writes, in a notes app, a post announcing weekend hours, with one link and two emoji. The notes app reports 261 characters — safely in. Counted the way X counts, the link collapses to its flat 23, which helps, but each emoji weighs 2 instead of 1 and the quoted special's name, written in another script, weighs double per character. Weighted total: over 280. Nothing about the draft looked long; the overflow was hiding in the symbols, not the words. Example two: a founder drafts a product update with no link and no emoji, pure plain text at 279 raw characters. That one genuinely fits — plain Latin text is the one case where the raw count and the weighted count agree, which is exactly why the failures surprise people: their text-only drafts taught them to trust the count that later betrayed a richer draft. Example three: an event post that runs long on words alone — a venue, a date, three speaker names, and a link. No counting trick saves it, because the words themselves exceed the budget. This is the draft the splitter rescues: pasted here, it divides at sentence boundaries into a numbered thread — announcement first, speakers second, link last — each part under 280, wording untouched, ready to copy in order or queue in AutoTweet as one thread. The pattern across all three: overflow is rarely about writing too much. It is about counting with the wrong ruler, and finding out in the composer instead of here.
Frequently asked questions
How does X actually count characters in a tweet?
X caps a post at 280 weighted characters. Every URL — however long — is rewritten through its link shortener and counts as 23. Most emoji count as 2, as do CJK characters; ordinary Latin letters, numbers, and punctuation count as 1. That is why a draft that looks like 250 characters in a notes app can overflow once a link and two emoji are added.
What happens if my tweet is over 280 characters?
X will not post it — the composer blocks publishing until you trim. Here, crossing the limit switches the tool into splitter mode: your text is divided at sentence boundaries into a numbered thread, each part under the limit, ready to copy in order. Nothing is deleted and no wording is changed.
Does the thread splitter rewrite my words?
No. It only decides where to break. Breaks land on sentence ends first, then clause and word boundaries when a single sentence is itself too long. The numbering (1/, 2/, …) is added for you and counted in each tweet's total, so what you copy is exactly what will post.
Is anything I paste stored or uploaded?
No. Counting and splitting happen in your browser, on your device. There is no account, no upload, and no analytics on the text itself — close the tab and the draft is gone.
Can AutoTweet post the thread for me?
Yes — that is the product behind this tool. Connect X, paste or generate a thread, and it queues as one unit and posts in order at its slot. Threads are capped per plan (Starter allows 1 per 2 days; Pro 1 per day), and the queue stays editable until each post's slot arrives.
My draft looks short but the counter says it is over — what is inflating it?
Usually symbols, not words. Most emoji weigh 2 weighted characters, characters in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean scripts generally weigh 2 each, and joined emoji sequences can weigh more still. Links work the other way: any URL weighs a flat 23, however long it looks. Paste the draft here and the counter shows the weighted total your notes app cannot see.
More guides
Or browse everything in Docs & guides.
Auto post to X — without opening X
Auto post to X without opening the app: AutoTweet drafts in your voice and auto-posts on schedule through the official X API. Start free.
AI auto tweet generation, in your voice
An AI auto tweet generator that learns your brand voice: drafts tweets, threads, and polls, scores them, and auto-posts on schedule. Start free.
How to tweet automatically (and still sound like yourself)
How to tweet automatically, step by step: teach an AI your voice, set your rhythm, fill the queue, then let auto-posting run. Free to start.
AutoEngager — built for gaining followers
AutoTweet's AutoEngager (Creator, $49/mo) works other people's posts on your topics — a capped, opt-in like or AI reply in your voice, a few times a day at human times, every action logged. Built for gaining followers, never spam.
Try AutoTweet free
Free Twitter scheduler with calendar, templates, and Smart Timing preview — no credit card.
Start free