The X character limit, and how X really counts

How X counts characters

X's developer docs explain the rules. Each character has a weight, and the weights add up to the 280 limit.

Two details from the docs matter in practice. First, emoji joined with zero width joiners, such as a family emoji, still count as 2 in total, not 2 for each part. Second, X normalizes text before counting, so an accented letter counts the same whether it was typed as one character or two.

Count your post the way X does

This counter uses twitter-text, the open source library that applies X's weights. For threads, Premium mode and more, use the free X character counter.

Worked examples

The weights add up in ways that surprise people. Here is the math for a few common posts.

The last row matters if you write in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Because those characters count as 2, your room in characters is half of 280. That is by design in X's rules, not a bug in your counter.

Longer posts with X Premium

X Help says Premium subscribers can post up to 25,000 characters, in posts, quotes and replies. Everyone can read a longer post; only subscribers can write one.

X's own pages do not fully agree. The Premium page and the "types of posts" page both say 25,000. The "How to post" page says to finish writing "up to 4,000 characters". We quote 25,000 because two pages say it, but if you plan to use the full length, test it in the app first.

Limits on longer posts

• Only mentions in the first 280 characters notify the person you mention.
• If you limit replies to people you mention, those mentions must be in the first 280 characters.
• X Help says you currently cannot save a draft of, or schedule, a longer post on the web.

Other X limits

When 280 is not enough: threads

A thread is a series of connected posts from one person. X Help explains how to add posts with the plus icon in the composer, and says that if you go over the limit in any post, the extra text is highlighted before you post.

Threads also have a reading pattern worth knowing. X Help says a thread with 2 or 3 posts usually shows connected in the timeline. With 4 or more, the posts are cut short and readers see "Show this thread". So your first post has to do the selling.

To split a long draft cleanly, try the free thread maker, or turn a LinkedIn post into a thread with the LinkedIn to X thread tool.

Practical tips

• Emoji cost double. A row of five emoji costs 10 characters.
• Short links do not save space. A link counts 23 whether it is a short link or a long one.
• Skip styled bold letters. They count 2 each, and they are different symbols from normal letters, so a search for the plain word may not find them.
• Front load the point. Even on a longer post, the first line is what people judge it by, so treat it like a hook.