Character Count for Twitter: Thread Writing with Confidence

Twitter (X) Threads are an art form. You take a complex topic and break it down into 10-20 consumable bites.

But nothing ruins the flow of a thread like hitting "Tweet All" and getting an error because Tweet #7 was 283 characters.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Tweet

• Hook: The first line. Needs to be short.
• Body: The value.
• Spacing: Twitter removes extra empty lines, but keeping 1 empty line between paragraphs improves readability.
• Hashtags: They count! #Marketing is 10 characters.

Drafting Offline

Don't draft directly in the Twitter app. It's glitchy, and if the app crashes, you lose your work.

The Workflow:

1. Open a text editor or Google Doc.
2. Write your thread freely.
3. Copy one paragraph.
4. Paste into the Character Counter.
5. Edit: If it's over 280, trim adjectives. Use abbreviations (& instead of and, w/ instead of with) if necessary, but don't sacrifice clarity.
6. Repeat: Build your thread methodically.

The "280" LimitNuance

Did you know links always count as 23 characters, no matter how long the URL is? Our tool helps you estimate this, but always double-check standard link counting rules if you are pasting massive URLs.

Draft Your Thread