How do I check that my Arabic promotional SMS stays within the character count my SMS provider gave me?
Paste the message into the word counter and compare 'Characters (as read)' and 'Unicode code points' with the number your SMS provider states in its contract or dashboard. The tool assumes no rule for any provider, but it shows the two figures closest to what messaging systems usually count. Spaces, the % sign and full stops all count, and any diacritic adds a code point without adding a letter you can see.
A typical discount message
Here is a short promo of the kind many shops send: «خصم 20% على كل المنتجات حتى الخميس. اطلب الآن» (20% off everything until Thursday. Order now). In the Word and character counter it gives:
- 9 words, the number 20 being one of them.
- 45 characters as read, including 8 spaces, the % sign and the full stop.
- 45 code points, because the text has no diacritics or emoji, so each character is one point.
- 78 bytes in UTF-8.
If your provider limits a message by characters, the first two figures agree here and the comparison is easy. Bytes matter only if the provider states the limit in bytes explicitly.
Where the difference hides
We wrote the first word with light vowel marks, «خَصْم» instead of «خصم», and left the rest alone. Characters as read stayed at 45, but code points rose to 47 and bytes to 82. The fatha and sukun do not look like two extra letters, but systems that count symbols include them. In one word the gap is small; in text copied from a fully vowelled source, a message can run over its limit without you noticing.
The fix: run the text through the Arabic diacritic remover before sending, paste it back into the counter, and check that code points once again equal characters.
A check before every campaign
- Write the final message in full, including your shop name and any link or discount code that will be added.
- Paste it into the counter and note two numbers: characters as read and code points.
- If they differ, look for diacritics, emoji or special symbols and remove any you do not need.
- Compare with your provider's limit. If the documents are unclear, ask them: do you count characters or bytes, and how many characters for an Arabic message specifically?
- Send a test to your own phone before the bulk send and check it arrived in full.
What the tool does not know about your provider
Some providers split a long message into parts and bill each as a message, and some add a sender name or an opt-out line of their own. Those are each provider's rules, and the tool neither knows nor assumes them. Its job is to give you the exact length of your text; the comparison stays with you and your contract.
Common questions
Does the number 20 count as two characters?
Yes in the character count, and as one word in the word count. The % after it is a third character.
Does a line break in the message count?
Yes, each line break is one character in the counter. Writing the message on two lines adds one to its length.