Remember when Twitter announced the character count change in May 2019? It was a big deal at the time, considering that Twitter originally had a 140-character limit. Under the new owner, Elon Musk, the character count has increased even more for premium account users.
Users on X like longer tweets because they provide more detailed information and allow for greater expression of thoughts and ideas. Longer tweets can share complex messages and engage the audience effectively.
Additionally, they enable users to include additional context and nuance in their posts, which can lead to more meaningful engagements.
Overall, longer tweets on X cater to the users’ desire for in-depth content and contribute to a richer and more engaging user experience.
Today, tweets are referred to as posts on the X network.
Table of Contents
Did Elon Musk Increase the Character Count on X?
Elon tweeted out he is looking at expanding the Twitter count and the video length on the social media network. He said that “Twitter will soon add ability to attach long-form text to tweets, ending absurdity of notepad screenshots.
Elon has made good on his promise for the Twitter Blue Subscribers. Yes, they can now tweet up to 25,000 characters. That sounds like one heck of a long post.
280 Character Count: Current Post Count For Non-Paid Users
Twitter had been trying to expand its character count back to at least September 2016 when they allowed images and media not to count toward their old 140-character count. That newer feature was nice as it allowed for more images and media in posts without cramping the tweets.
But the announcement of the 280-character count no longer makes it short and sweet on the beloved Twitter network. Many of us love Twitter for its brevity.
Uniquely it is what makes Twitter so unique among the social networks when Twitter started back in 2006.
What is the Character Count for All Users Today on Twitter X?
The current Twitter character count is 280 characters per post unless you have a Blue Subscription then you can post up to 25,000 characters on Twitter X.
What Counts For Twitter Character Counts?
Twitter’s character count rules are pretty straightforward but have a few twists. Each tweet can hold up to 280 characters, and every character counts.
- That includes letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces.
- Emojis are fun and add color to tweets, but each one takes up to two characters.
- Links make tweets powerful with external references, yet they eat up 23 characters, no matter how long they are.
So, think wisely. Crafting a tweet is a balancing act between words and these extra elements. Every emoji or link you add takes space, leaving less room for your message.
Understanding this helps craft posts on X that punch through without getting cut off.
Why Emojis Count May Vary
Some emojis on X count as more than one character because they use more complex encoding. Unlike simple text, many emojis are made of multiple Unicode scalars to show different colors, genders, or skin tones.
This added complexity changes how they’re counted in the character limit. For instance, a flag emoji or a family emoji combines several smaller emojis, which means they take up more space than you’d think.
So next time you’re posting on X, keep an eye on how many characters those cute icons are eating up in your message.
Why Didn’t Twitter Start With Longer Tweets?
Twitter noted that 9% of English tweets went over the old 140-character count. Twitter did note on their blog post about the Twitter 280 character count that many people tried it out and then went back to shorter tweets.
It was a novelty at first that didn’t last a few years back.
They also noticed when people in the test had more characters to tweet that they tweeted more often. People didn’t have to spend so much time editing their tweets to fit with the new character count.
The experimental users reported they did get more engagement on their longer tweets. (More re-tweets, likes, and shares).
One of the alternative social media network Parler allows for a 1,000-character count with their parleys when it was up and running.
The Circle Count for Twitter 280 Character Count
You were able to see an orange circle as you are nearing the end of your Twitter character count to 280. You can see my test tweet while first writing this blog post a few years ago as I was nearing the end of the 280-character count via tweet.
Notice the orange circle at the bottom with #4 in it. That is how many more characters I could have used to complete a 280-character count tweet.
It does look a lot different than the old red minus symbol as you were tweeting to the old 140-character limit on Twitter.
Therefore the new character count does not allow for all of my tweets to be shown in the screenshot either. As you can see the top part of the tweet is cut off.
Longer or Shorter Tweets on X?
It’s amazing how much more you can fit with the additional space on a tweet (post) now. There will be many unique ways to use this character count but I would not recommend it for every tweet.
I am thinking shorter tweets may get more recognition now as they will be easier to read in your Twitter stream.
As time has gone on that has not been always been the case. Longer posts on the X stream seem to generate more engagement most of the time.
Of course, adding images and videos help with your engagement on the network. X is going to be competing with YouTube for videos in the future as Elon Musk discussed it.
Will The Longer Twitter Character Count Change Streams?
We may see more tweets in our streams as people experiment with the new character count. Some as Twitter noticed in their test period will tweet more now that they can say more.
Of course, not everyone loves short and sweet in their messages.
But some people prefer to write a novel via a tweet. Especially with the thread features. These threads have become very popular over the past year.
Additionally, it will be interesting to see how these longer tweets will affect your own tweets going forward. Therefore it will be necessary to look at your Twitter analytics to see which tweets are working best for you as you try out the new format.
(You need a subscription to view analytics today.)
Twitter Character Counter Tools
Now, if you want to schedule your tweets, you can measure if they are within the character count guidelines.
However, if you use social media management tools like Agorapulse or Missing Letter, the tools will let you know if you are going over the Twitter count limit.
Here are some free tools you can use to get the Twitter character count:
- Character Counter – A free tool to use.
- Chirr App – An app to count the length of your tweets.
- Microsoft Word – You can use your word program to count words or character counts.
- Thread Creator – This allows you to check your tweet length exactly as it will appear on Twitter X. It is free to use for one account and $15/mo. for unlimited X accounts.
- Pallyy – Another free tool you can use to check your Twitter character count.
The Edit Button
Interesting to see that the edit button is mentioned as it’s available now for Twitter Blue subscribers. However, it doesn’t work when you reply to tweets. It only allows you to edit from the original tweet itself.
Your Turn: The Twitter Character Count, Better or Worse?
How are you using the full 280-character count on Twitter? Have you tried the 10,000-character tweet yet?
I’d love to know in the comments below if you like the longer tweets or not. Are you using any Twitter character counter tools? Are you in favor of Elon increasing the count going forward?
Let’s discuss it on Twitter today @lisapatb
FAQS: Twitter Character Count
Do hashtags count in the Twitter character count?
Yes, hashtags do count in the total character count.
How many characters can you have in a tweet with a free account?
You can have up to 280 characters with a free account.
How many characters are allowed with a Blue subscription?
You can tweet up to 10,000 characters now with a Twitter Blue account.
Does the Twitter character count include spaces?
Yes, spaces count toward the final character count of a tweet.
Are links included in the number of characters in a tweet?
No, links do not count in the total number of tweet characters.
What was the original length of a tweet?
The original length of characters was 140.
When did Twitter up the count to 280?
They upped the amount from 140 to 180 back in 2017.
*Twitter today is called X but many still refer to it as Twitter. Tweets are now called posts but many still refer to them as tweets. I use the terms interchangeably.
She has 30+ years of experience in marketing/advertising with 12 years of experience in content marketing, social media, blogging, and SEO.
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Hello Lisa, since the arrival of Elon Musk, a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same. one of the few things that has changed is the character count.
I’m impressed because I can now express myself and expand my reach. I have to become a premium user to enjoy the 25,000 characters.
Hi Foster, yes a lot sure has changed on X over the past few years. It is still my favorite of the social networks. I don’t always use the full character count but it is nice when you need it for sure! Thanks for coming by and have a great day!
Nice article Lisa. It is really a great news.
I was always thinking about more limit while tweeting my tweets, because sometimes my texts never fits to old limits. Now we all can use more hashtags.
Hi Atul, oh yes, you can have more hashtags but I would not go above 2-3 of them on Twitter. I love being able to tag more people and using longer quotes in my tweets. Thanks for coming by and welcome to Inspire to Thrive!
Hello Lisa,
You can’t fathom how happy I am about this development.
All my life I have wanted twitter to give me more space to express my thoughts but in a concise way.
Now I can add a few CTA’s and a few relevant hashtags.
But Twitter must not go more than this ever so that it wont be abused just like Facebook is.
I am looking foward to seeing all accept this as a welcome development like myself.
Do have a great week ahead.
Golden
Hi Golden, really? You must have been very happy about this one. I’m liking it a lot more myself now. I can tweet longer quotes and tag more people on Follow Friday, etc. I agree if they add anymore it will be like the drama of Facebook. Have you noticed anymore engagement with your longer tweets yet? Thanks for coming by on this one. Have an awesome day!
I have loved it so far Lisa. Seems to be increasing engagement for me. Only because in the past, I felt forced to be short and curt, and now I can let my chats grow organically. I do however feel the 280 char limit should be the definite, all time limit. Anything more and the network loses its flavor, its key selling point.
Really though, I resisted the change at first. Weird the difference a few weeks makes, right?
Ryan
Hi Ryan, I have to agree with you. At first I didn’t like it but then I could tweet better quotes and tag more folks on Follow Friday. It will be interesting to see how the engagement goes for them too. I will be doing a follow up. Thanks for coming by and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi Lisa.
I’m not a fan of the longer tweet. the 140 characters is a unique feature that made Twitter the niche forum that it is.
However, I’m sure I will find it useful on occasion. For example, I sent a personal tweet to somebody today, and was pleased that I could fit it all in one tweet
Nathan.
Hi Nathan, I’m starting to like it more and more as I use it. I have always loved how quick and easy Twitter was so I’m just hoping it doesn’t change that too much Nathan. Stay tuned for a follow-up! Thank you for coming by and have a great day!
Hi Lisa,
Personally, I don’t like this expansion. Twitter should bring back 140 characters. It makes me think and write in a more concise manner.
Just like the poll stated, majority want 140 characters back. It’s what makes them unique. They should rather improve their social network to work in all kinds of devices like Facebook.
There are devices, except you have the app, you can’t upload images.
Thanks for sharing.
Emenike
Hi Emenike, I thought so too at first. But now I’m liking tweeting longer quotes and more people on Follow Friday. I always have loved the brevity of Twitter though. It IS what makes it different. It will be interesting to see how many use and if it does bring more engagement to the network. Thanks for coming by with your input Emenike. have a great week ahead.
Hi Lisa,
I think most of us don’t like when major platforms like Twitter change the rules.
Gives us something else to think about.
Then we’ve got to change the way we’ve been doing things.
But I actually like to 280 characters because like you said – it means we don’t have to do so much futzin’ around with word abbreviations to make everything work.
And besides, you don’t have to use more than 140 characters if you don’t want to. I probably won’t.
Thanks for the update.
-Donna
Hi Donna, you are right – most people do not like change. I’m starting to like this one more myself. I realized I can tweet longer quotes and mention more people in Follow Friday tweets.
I’m going to test some more and see if using all 280 character count increases my engagement there on Twitter. Twitter did suggest that with it’s test in the early stages of launching it.
You are welcome Donna and I hope you are doing well. Thanks for coming by and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Lisa,
I’m excited to see how it goes. Before 280 characters tweet update, I always liked Facebook status because it does allow you to write whatever you want to write when it comes to size. We all have seen all those long, meaty Facebook status updates from friends. Right?
Now, I’m keen to find out that how 280-character tweet plays out for most of the people. As a big fan of Twitter, I sometimes found 140 characters less, especially when tweeting a two-line thought.
Hi Hassaan, me too. But I do love the shortness and sweetness of Twitter. But I am curious to see if the longer tweets will generate more engagements. I’ll be testing it. Stay tuned!
Thanks for coming by – have a great rest of the week.
Hey Lisa,
I was out when it was announced but it was surprising to see how people were able to send longer tweets.
I am glad that Twitter has taken the right step.
Many websites were facing issues because the headline and the permalink were longer than 140 characters.
Thanks for sharing with us.
~Ravi
Hi Ravi, I know that they had been testing it but it was a surprise the day they made the announcement. I’m testing to see if they receive more engagement as Twitter suggests the longer tweets get. Thanks for coming by Ravi and have a wonderful day!
I didn’t think I’d like the extra characters but I’m getting used to it. I’m not using it all that often, but it’s nice not to worry about going over anymore. Course, I’m not sure I’ve been engaged more than previously; we’ll see how that goes over the long term.
Hi Mitch, Yes, I feel the same way about keeping it short and simple on Twitter. But I will experiment with longer tweets to see if they do get more engagement like Twitter suggests via their testing of them on the roll out of this new feature.
I will be doing a follow up in the future on this one.
Thanks for coming by Mitch and have a great rest of the weekend, did it get real cold in your neck of the woods too? It’s in the 20’s here. To think last weekend we didn’t even need our coats.
Lisa: I will keep it short and sweet. Period.
All the Best,
Martin
Hi Martin, I will experiment with some longer tweets to see if they do produce more engagement as Twitter suggests in their testing phrase with the longer tweet characters. I have always loved Twitter for it’s short and sweetness. Thanks for coming by Martin and have a great day!
Wow. Lisa,
I was amaze when I saw this thread on twitter. I also love it short and sweet to the tune. But no regret to what twitter are doing. I think they realize people’s are not able to express their feelings on the common short characters they specified before. Now, it’s time for more expression, more tweets.
Hi Awogor, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. Yes – many people did complain about the brevity of tweets. Maybe those that didn’t join will not sign into the network and start tweeting away. I hope so. I do love the short and sweet tactic that Twitter has had for years though. Thanks for coming by and have a great day!
Hi Lisa,
I’ve just gotten used to writing my tweets and saying exactly what I needed to say. I never ran into any issues with using the 140 characters.
Sometimes I would have to change the way that I would say something. But it wasn’t difficult.
It’s nice to know that you can now fit more characters into a tweet.
I’m still going to make my tweets as short as possible. Like you said, the last thing you want to do is start rambling.
Although it’s nice to know that if you have more to say, you won’t be told you have too many characters.
Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend.
Susan
Hi Susan, LOL, you can’t get used to anything too long anymore in this world. It all changes so fast now.
I’m glad you will find this helpful in your future tweets. I must remember to do a few long ones to test them out. It will be very interesting to see where this all goes.
BTW – Did you see my tweet to you this a.m.? Do you have a RSS feed on your blog? I could not find one, that may be why your links are not showing on your comments.
Thanks for coming by and have a fabulous Friday Susan.
Hi Lisa,
Good to stop by again to read your amazing article on the 280 Twitter character for all users. I actually heard about it on Bloomberg news the night before. It was one of their breaking news.
I said to myself, I’m going to write about it right away, but because of other projects that must be submitted, I couldn’t, and you beat me to it.
However, your insight and tips on the topic are epic. But even though the 280 character will help users to create a more lengthy post, the problem is that it seems to be a foreign concept.
Myself for example, I love the 140 character, it’s the way to go. Now look at the screenshot you took, it only showed half or part of the content which is awful.
Hence, it’s a new idea that must be implemented. Let watch and see, maybe we’ll get used to it and perhaps, come to love it as well.
Thanks you for sharing!
Thanks Moss. LOL, I almost didn’t but then I realized not everyone heard about it yet. And it was an easy post for me since Twitter is my #1 topic here. I too loved the brevity of Twitter Moss – you may or may not know I’m not one for a lot of words. I struggle to sometimes get wordy with posts or comments. I love short, sweet and to the point! If someone sends me a long email I’m app to not reply right away. But a short one gets my attention much easier.
That’s why I think Twitter has survived. I haven’t seen too many lengthy tweets in my stream yet, it will be really interesting to see how it plays out Moss.
Thanks for coming by and have a fabulous Friday!
Hello Lisa,
I don’t know what to say on this, is it a good innovative or something which will make Twitter more as other social media
platforms. With the early version, the 140 word count was kind of sweet thing, which kept the things short and cool, but
its latest update to 280 words limit, it seems like its going to be something more twisting.
I was not aware until I was over your place, indeed twitter is my love, but yesterday I didn’t got to visit it as was busy in
on family duty.
Now 280 words count to get us a little expansion, as we can add up some of our views along with the matter, which will
obviously effect our connections with the others, but its needed to be use smartly, so that it leaves a good impact behind.
I am looking forward to see others how they react to this and also myself, as what I can make to this.
Thanks for the share.
Shantanu.
Hi Shantanu, I agree with you – I liked the 140 short and sweet version of Twitter but it will be interesting to see how the 280 count plays out. Twitter claims you get more engagements with the longer count. They did testing in their roll out for a few months.
Interesting you didn’t see it – that’s what inspired me to write about it, I know we all can’t be everywhere everyday. We also tend to miss something. Glad you now know about it.
Thanks for coming back and stay tuned as I’ll be monitoring how this one on Twitter plays out. Have a great day ahead there Shantanu. I appreciate all your shares by the way too!
Hey Lisa!
I do like this new extension on twitter.
I will definitely be taking advantage of this. I think 280 characters is just right. 140 characters was a bit too short.
Now we can say a bit more without spending too much time editing what we wanna say to fit inot 140 characters.
I think this is the right move for twitter!
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
Hi Freddy, welcome to Inspire to Thrive. You are not alone in your thinking, some do think we needed more characters. I just don’t want to see all tweets taking all those characters up.
I have always loved how quick Twitter moved along. I hope it doesn’t slow it down. Thanks for coming by and have a great rest of the week Freddy.
Hi Lisa,
Definitely a great initiative by Twitter.
There were so many tools also created just to extend the twitter tweet limit. Certainly twitter is a micro blogging platform so we can understand the importance of “brevity”.
But with the introduction of 280 characters, we can do more. I still remember the days to remove tags (even though they are really great) just because of twitter 140 char count. Now I can start using more tags and use really lengthy titles to tweet.
Thanks for the share!
Hi Anil, yes- it will be interesting to see how it goes after a month or so. Oh yes more tags and hashtags are probably 2 things we will see more of going forward. I am very curious if using the 280 character count on Twitter will result in more engagement, etc as Twitter claims in their test roll-out. Thanks Anil for coming by with your input and have a great day!
[ Smiles ] I am all for longer tweets, because that would mean that I could use more relevant hashtags.
Hi Renard, how many hashtags will you know use? You make a good point if the hashtags are lengthier. Thanks for your input on this and for sharing too.
Good morning, Lisa! This is great news for some, and as your tweet convo’s showed, not so good for others.
Personally, I think it’s great for sharing #blog content. A lot of times I’d like to add to the tweet but there isn’t enough characters left. It’s rare that I have a Twitter convo that I need more space, except with you, so that can come in handy. However, I hope tweeps don’t try to turn it into a Facebook or Google +. We don’t need any novellas out there!
Can’t wait to see how this goes over in Twitterland and with your readers!
Have a fabulous day, girly!
P.S. I see you still have G+ share button on your blog. Are you still actively using G+?
Hi Brenda, I agree with you – I don’t want Twitter to turn into Facebook or Google+ either. I think Twitter has survived for so long because of it’s brevity.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Yes, I do still have G+ share buttons here. I do not use it as often as I once did.
Thanks for coming by on this one Brenda and for sharing it around too. I did notice that this a.m.
I hope you had a great day and a better one coming up!