The Real Constraint
Meta descriptions do not have a perfect universal length, but they do have a practical one: short enough to avoid getting chopped, long enough to say something useful.
That is why character count matters more than word count here.
How to Check Meta Description Length
Paste your draft into Character Counter and keep it within a practical range for search snippets. Use Word Counter only if you want a second readability check.
What Usually Goes Wrong
- too vague to earn the click
- too long and gets truncated
- stuffed with keywords instead of written like a real sentence
The Practical Workflow
Write the description for a human first, then check it with Character Counter. Tighten the phrasing until it is both readable and compact.