SMS character counter for Sinhala, Tamil and English
Paste your message to see how many characters and SMS parts it uses, whether it is GSM-7 or Unicode, and what it costs in rupees to send.
Prices are Bloomwire's published rates, inclusive of government taxes. Your text stays in your browser.
How SMS length works
An SMS is not counted in letters but in characters of one of two alphabets. Which one your message uses decides how much fits in a single SMS.
| Encoding | Used when | One SMS | Each part of a long SMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 | English letters, numbers and common symbols only | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| Unicode (UCS-2) | Any Sinhala, Tamil or emoji character, or another symbol outside GSM-7 | 70 characters | 67 characters |
A few GSM-7 symbols, such as { } [ ] ~ ^ | \ €, count as two characters. Long messages are joined back together on the phone, so each part loses a few characters to a hidden header.
Why Sinhala and Tamil SMS cost more
The same message in Sinhala or Tamil uses Unicode, so it fits less text per SMS and often becomes two or three parts. Each part is charged as one SMS.
How to fit more in one SMS
- Cut greetings and filler words. Start with the action: "Order #4521 confirmed".
- Use Singlish or English for operational messages if your customers read them comfortably, and keep Sinhala or Tamil for messages where trust matters most.
- Remove emojis from SMS. Save them for WhatsApp, where length does not change the price.
- Use a short link instead of a long URL.
- Check every template with this counter before a campaign, then multiply by your list size.
Want the full background? Read Sinhala and Tamil SMS: character limits, cost and how to write shorter, compare providers in Best SMS gateway in Sri Lanka, or see our SMS gateway and API.
SMS length questions
What people ask us about SMS characters and cost in Sri Lanka.
How many characters are in one SMS?
A standard SMS holds 160 characters when every character is in the GSM-7 alphabet (English letters, numbers and common symbols). If the message has even one Sinhala, Tamil or emoji character, it switches to Unicode (UCS-2) and one SMS holds 70 characters.
How many characters can a Sinhala SMS have?
A Sinhala SMS uses Unicode, so one message holds 70 characters. Longer messages are split into parts of 67 characters each, because each part needs a small header to join the message back together on the phone.
Why does my Sinhala message count more characters than I typed?
Sinhala vowel signs and the hal kirima are separate characters, and conjunct letters such as ශ්රී also contain an invisible zero-width joiner. Each of these counts towards the 70-character limit even though you see one letter.
Do emojis change the SMS length?
Yes. One emoji switches the whole message to Unicode, so the limit drops from 160 to 70 characters, and most emojis count as two characters.
How much does one SMS cost with Bloomwire?
Bloomwire charges LKR 0.50 per transactional SMS and LKR 0.70 per promotional SMS, inclusive of government taxes. Each part of a long message is charged as one SMS.
Is this tool free?
Yes. The counter runs in your browser, nothing you type is sent to Bloomwire, and there is no sign-up.
