Check a post for X before it goes out

Paste a draft. The dials show X's weighted character count, a reading grade, how many hashtags, mentions and links it carries, whether it shouts, and how it will wrap on a phone. Nothing leaves your browser.

Weighted character count gauge
0/ 280280 left
Reading grade gauge
–gradeFlesch-Kincaid
  • Hashtags0
  • Mentions0
  • First line0
Plain characters
0
Words
0
Sentences
0
Emoji / wide chars
0
Tag + link share
0%
Lines
0

Warnings

  • Nothing to flag yet. Start typing.

Wrap preview

Roughly how the text breaks at two common widths. Fonts differ between devices, so treat line counts as approximate.

Phone · about 340px

0 lines

Desktop column · about 520px

0 lines

What each dial measures

Weighted count

X's own method: text is normalized to NFC, most Latin characters count 1, emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters count 2, and each link counts 23. The standard limit is 280. Premium accounts can post up to 25,000.

How X counts characters

Reading grade

The Flesch-Kincaid grade, from words per sentence and syllables per word. Links, mentions and hashtag symbols are left out. Grade 6 to 8 suits most audiences. On one or two sentences, read it as a hint.

Writing readable posts

Hashtags, mentions, links

Counts plus the share of the post they take up. X's help center suggests no more than two hashtags per post, and a post that is mostly tags and handles is hard to read.

How many hashtags is too many

First line and caps

The first line is what people see as they scroll, so the meter shows its length. It also flags all-caps words, which read as shouting and are harder to scan.

First lines that get read

Guides

  1. CH1Writing readable posts for X
  2. CH2How X counts characters in a post
  3. CH3Hashtags on X: how many is too many?
  4. CH4First lines that get read on X
  5. CH5Plain language for social media posts

Questions

Why does Twittermeter show a different number than a plain character counter?

X doesn't count characters one by one. It weighs them. Most Latin letters, digits and punctuation count as 1, emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters count as 2, and every link counts as 23 no matter how long it is. A plain counter treats a 90-character URL as 90 and an emoji as 1 or 2 depending on how it's stored, so it can be off by a lot in either direction.

Is the count exactly what X will show?

It follows the rules X publishes for its developer platform: 280 weighted characters, NFC normalization, links at 23, and weight 2 for emoji and characters outside the Latin ranges. Link detection is the part most likely to differ, because X recognizes some bare domains and not others. If a draft sits within a few characters of the limit, check it in the X composer before posting.

What reading grade should a post aim for?

For a general audience, a Flesch-Kincaid grade around 6 to 8 reads easily on a phone. The formula was built for longer passages, so on a single post the number swings with one long word. Use it to spot a sentence that has grown too heavy, and ignore it for very short posts.

Does the meter send my draft anywhere?

No. Everything runs in JavaScript in your browser tab. The draft isn't uploaded, logged or stored, and the page works offline once it has loaded. Close the tab and the text is gone.

Is Twittermeter an official X tool?

No. Twittermeter is independent and isn't affiliated with X Corp. It doesn't connect to your account or the X API. It only measures the text you paste.

Twittermeter is independent and not affiliated with X Corp.