WordBench reference
X (Twitter) character limit
The X (Twitter) post limit on a free account is 280 weighted units, according to Counting characters, X developer platform, checked on 23 July 2026. Almost everyone who looks this up is writing a post and wants to know whether it will fit, and whether a link or an emoji is going to cost them.
Count your text against this limit
Counted in weighted units, the unit X (Twitter) actually uses, not in plain characters. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
Nothing counted yet. The limit is 280 weighted units.
Autosaves in this browser
The same text in the other X (Twitter) fields
- Longer post, Premiumcharacters0 / 25,00025,000 left
What happens when you go over
The post button stays disabled and the counter ring around it turns red. Nothing is truncated: X refuses the post rather than cutting it.
X is the only major platform that does not count characters at all. It counts weighted units, and it counts a link as a flat 23 units no matter how long the URL is, because every link is rewritten to a t.co address before it is sent.
Every X (Twitter) limit, with its unit
| Field | Limit | Counted in | What people get wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post, free account | 280 | weighted units | X weights the count: Latin letters, digits and common punctuation cost 1, while every emoji and every CJK character costs 2. A link always costs 23 no matter how long it is. |
| Longer post, Premium | 25,000 | characters | Anyone can read a longer post but only a Premium subscriber can write one. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the X (Twitter) character limit? The X (Twitter) post limit on a free account is 280 weighted units, according to Counting characters, X developer platform. Checked on 23 July 2026.
What is the X (Twitter) character limit?
The X (Twitter) post limit on a free account is 280 weighted units, according to Counting characters, X developer platform. Checked on 23 July 2026.
What happens if I go over the X (Twitter) limit?
The post button stays disabled and the counter ring around it turns red. Nothing is truncated: X refuses the post rather than cutting it.
Does X (Twitter) count emoji differently?
Yes. X (Twitter) counts in weighted units, not in plain characters, so an emoji does not cost what a letter costs. X is the only major platform that does not count characters at all. It counts weighted units, and it counts a link as a flat 23 units no matter how long the URL is, because every link is rewritten to a t.co address before it is sent.
Where does this number come from?
From Counting characters, X developer platform, linked in the sources section on this page. Nothing here is estimated or copied from another character counter, and every figure carries the date it was last checked.
What is the X character limit?
280 weighted units per post on a free account, according to Counting characters, X developer platform, checked on 23 July 2026. X calls them characters, but the count is weighted, so an emoji or a link does not cost what a letter costs.
Is the Twitter character limit still 280?
Yes. Twitter is now X, and a post from a free account is still capped at 280 weighted units. That is the figure in Counting characters, X developer platform as WordBench last checked it, on 23 July 2026.
Does a link count toward the X character limit?
Yes, at a flat rate rather than its real length, because X rewrites every link to a t.co address before the post is sent. X weights the count: Latin letters, digits and common punctuation cost 1, while every emoji and every CJK character costs 2. A link always costs 23 no matter how long it is.
Do emoji count double on X?
Yes. X counts in weighted units rather than plain characters, and every emoji and every CJK character costs twice what a Latin letter does. A post written only in emoji runs out of room at half the length of one in plain Latin text.
Sources
The counting rules behind each unit, and why two character counters can disagree about the same sentence, are written out on the methodology page.