WordCharacterCounter.com

Symbol Counter

Count the symbols, punctuation marks and special characters in your text. The symbol counter lists every symbol it finds with its name, type and Unicode code point, and splits them into punctuation, currency, math and other symbols, with emoji counted on their own.

  • Named symbols
  • Punctuation, currency, math
  • Stays on your device
0 words · 0 characters
Stays on this device

Every symbol in your text

Each punctuation mark and symbol with its name, type, Unicode code point and count. Straight and curly quotes are listed separately.

Symbols and punctuation from your text appear here.

How to count symbols and special characters

Counting the symbols in a text takes three steps.

  1. Paste your text

    An article, a product listing, a password idea, code or a data file. The count updates as you type.

  2. Choose the options

    Emoji are counted separately by default. Tick “Count emoji as symbols” to include them, and group the list by type if you prefer.

  3. Check the list

    Every symbol with its name, type, Unicode code point and count. Copy the symbols or download the table.

Example

In the sample, “$”, “£” and “€” are currency symbols, “%” and “!” are punctuation, “™” and “©” are other symbols, and the em dash “—” is punctuation.

Count symbols in a sample

Types of symbols the counter finds

Every character in Unicode has a category. The symbol counter groups them like this.

TypeExamplesUnicode category
Punctuation. , ! ? : ; ’ “ ” ( ) - – — … @ # % & *P (punctuation)
Currency$ € £ ¥ ₹ ₨ ¢ ₿Sc (currency symbol)
Math+ = < > × ÷ ± ≠ ≤ ≥ √ ∞Sm (math symbol)
Other symbols© ® ™ ° § ¶ • → ★ ✓So and Sk (other and modifier symbols)
Emoji😀 👍 🎉Counted separately unless you include them

Some characters people think of as symbols, such as @, # and %, are classed as punctuation by Unicode.

Common symbols and their names

The counter names the symbols you’re most likely to meet. A few that are often confused:

SymbolNameCode point
&AmpersandU+0026
#Number sign, hash or pound signU+0023
@At signU+0040
~TildeU+007E
^CaretU+005E
Pilcrow (paragraph sign)U+00B6
§Section signU+00A7
–En dashU+2013
—Em dashU+2014

When symbols take more space than you think

Symbols don’t always count as one character:

  • Text messages (SMS): a standard SMS fits 160 characters in the GSM 7-bit alphabet, but characters from its extension table, ^ € { } [ ] ~ and \\, take two places each. A message with any character outside the GSM alphabet, such as a curly quote or an emoji, switches to a different encoding and fits only 70 characters.
  • Passwords: many sites require at least one “special character”, which usually means a symbol from the keyboard such as ! @ # $ or %. Some reject symbols outside that set.
  • Social media: the Twitter Character Counter shows how X weights characters, including emoji, which count as 2 each.

What the symbol counter shows

Totals by type, plus a full list.

  • .,!

    Punctuation

    Full stops, commas, quotes, brackets, dashes and more.

  • $€£

    Currency

    Every currency symbol, from $ and € to ₹ and ₿.

  • +=×

    Math

    Plus, equals, multiplication, comparison and other math signs.

  • ©™

    Other symbols

    Copyright and trade mark signs, arrows, stars, bullets and degree signs.

Symbol counter FAQ

What counts as a symbol?

Any character that isn’t a letter, a digit or a space: punctuation, currency signs, math signs and other symbols. Emoji are counted separately unless you include them.

What is a special character?

Usually any character that isn’t a letter or a number, such as ! @ # $ % or &. Password rules often use “special character” to mean one of the symbols on a standard keyboard.

Does it count punctuation?

Yes. Punctuation marks are counted and shown on their own, so you can see how many are commas, full stops, quotes and so on.

Are straight and curly quotes counted separately?

Yes. ' and ’ are different characters with different code points, so each gets its own row.

Why does the € sign take two characters in a text message?

In the GSM 7-bit alphabet used for SMS, € is in the extension table, so it uses two of the 160 places.

How do I count only one symbol?

Use the Specific Character Counter and type the symbol you want to count.

Is my text uploaded?

No. The counting happens in your browser and your text stays on your device.

Sources and references

  1. Unicode Character Database (UAX #44), Unicode Consortium
  2. GSM 03.38, Wikipedia
  3. Counting characters, X Developer Platform

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