How Much Can Really Be Said In A Tweet?
Start writing a post
Entertainment

How Much Can Really Be Said In A Tweet?

140-characters doesn't seem to be enough to say what you need, and yet there is no sentence in this article that exceeds that limit.

20
How Much Can Really Be Said In A Tweet?
Pexels

Twitter - then called "Twittr" - was launched in March 2006, over a year before the first iphone. But even then, it had a 140-character limit, as the standard length of a SMS or text message is 160-characters. The founders of Twitter thought it best not to overwhelm the phones with 3 or 4 staggered, delayed, or even partially missing messages. By choosing 20 characters less there is room for the sender's username. This way, anyone receiving a tweet would get the whole tweet in a single text message.

Because of this character limit there are limitless posts about shortening down what you want to say and how to say it effectively. Maybe Twitter’s just a fad and when it does pass, as fads do, the 140-character message might not as it’s too well-suited to mobile screens. As such it is relevant to discuss how much you can really say in a Tweet.

Language Differences

Different languages lead to a difference in how much you can say in 140 characters. Some languages require more characters to say simple phrases. For example for Germanic and Romance languages the character limit has given way to all sorts of creative abbreviations. The English variants of this are well known (u for you, 2 for too, and so on). Other languages demonstrate the same capability: Portuguese speakers tend to write "vc" for "voce" (you) and "qdo" for "quando" (when). But for Chinese and Japanese, in which one symbol can represent an entire word they can say a lot more in 140 characters.

A British IT consultant hooked Twitter and Google Translate to compare the different lengths once they were translated into English. Of course, any computer translation is at best a rough estimate, but it still has interesting results. He found that the Japanese tweets he surveyed averaged out to 260 English characters each.

Recent News

In recent news, Twitter is cutting back on what types of content will use up its 140-character limit. When replying to a Tweet, @names and a URL at the end of Tweets from attaching photos, a video, etc. will no longer count toward the limit. They also enabled the Retweet button on your own Tweets. This way you can easily Retweet or Quote Tweet yourself when you want to share a new reflection or feel like a good one went unnoticed.


Fun fact: There is no sentence in this article that exceeds the 140-character limit.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

47585
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

30162
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

954241
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

170954
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments