# length

[Built-ins](README.md)

Canonical ID: `core.length`. Nederlands: `lengte`.

Counts [Unicode code points](../concepts/code-points.md) in Text, top-level elements in a List, or entries in a Map. It does not count UTF-8 bytes or recursively count nested values. A visible emoji may contain several code points. Other value types are rejected; convert a number to text first only if you intend to count its displayed characters.

## Signature

```text
length(value)
```

## Arguments

| Parameter | Type | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| `value` | Text / List / Map | The value to count. |

## Return value

`Number`.

## Example

```pliro
# language: en
say length("🐢abc")
say length([1, [2, 3]])
say length({"a": 1, "b": 2})
```

Prints `4`, `2`, and `2`.

## Notes and common mistakes

Use the function name for your source language. Its [canonical ID](../concepts/canonical-identity.md) is a shared documentation label; you do not type that ID as a call. Giving your own variable or function the same name can hide the built-in. Supply the documented [arguments](../concepts/parameters-and-arguments.md) and value types. Pliro reports mismatches when checking can detect them, or when the call runs.

## Related entries

[say](say.md) · [text](text.md) · [Programming guides](../guides/getting-started.md) · [Host support](../guides/hosts.md) · [Calls and arguments](../syntax/calls.md)