Script timer: how long will your video script take to say?
Paste your script below to see how long it takes to say. As a rule of thumb, a steady to-camera read runs at about 150 words per minute: 37 words for 15 seconds, 75 for 30, and 150 for a minute.
How it works
The timer counts the words you would say, then works out:
seconds = words ÷ words per minute × 60 + (blank-line breaks × pause)
The word budget for a target length runs the same sum backwards and rounds down, so a script that fits the budget never runs over: words = (target seconds − pauses) × words per minute ÷ 60.
Worked examples
| Script | Pace | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 words | 150 wpm | 150 ÷ 150 × 60 | 60 seconds |
| 75 words, 2 blank lines, half-second pauses | 150 wpm | 75 ÷ 150 × 60 + 2 × 0.5 | 31 seconds |
| 100 words | 175 wpm | 100 ÷ 175 × 60 | 34.3 seconds |
| Target 15 seconds | 175 wpm | 15 × 175 ÷ 60 = 43.75, rounded down | 43 words |
These sums are checked by an automated test that also confirms, for every target from 1 to 180 seconds at every preset pace, that the word budget never reads longer than the target.
Where the paces come from
| Preset | Basis |
|---|---|
| Calm and clear, 130 wpm | A deliberate, easy-to-follow read. A convention, not a measured average: good for explaining steps or for a first video when nerves speed you up. |
| Steady to-camera, 150 wpm | The round figure most script writers use for to-camera video. A convention, sitting between the calm read and radio news. |
| Radio newsreader, 170 wpm | Radio guidance recommends 160 to 180 words per minute, and BBC bulletins fall inside that range (Rodero, Text & Talk, 2012). |
| Everyday chat, 175 wpm | The average across 5,850 recorded phone conversations in the Fisher English corpus was 172.7 words per minute (Liberman, Language Log, 2005). |
| Fast and punchy, 190 wpm | A quick, energetic delivery common on TikTok. A convention, not a measured average. Above this, most viewers need captions to keep up. |
Everyone's pace is different, so the most accurate setting is your own. Read a script of known length aloud with a stopwatch, then divide the words by the seconds and multiply by 60. If you read 80 words in 30 seconds, your pace is 160 words per minute.
How long should a short video be?
The platforms allow more than most people need. Instagram raised the Reels upload limit to three minutes in January 2025 (Social Media Today), and YouTube Shorts can be up to three minutes for square or vertical videos. Length is not the goal: a script should be as short as the idea allows. TikTok's own guidance for ads is to introduce what the video is about in the first three seconds (TikTok creative best practices), which is the job of your hook. Our guide to script length goes through it beat by beat.
Questions
How many words is a 60-second script?
About 150 words at a steady to-camera pace of 150 words per minute. At an everyday chatting pace of about 175 words per minute it is about 175 words, and at a calm 130 it is 130.
How many words is a 30-second script?
About 75 words at 150 words per minute, or 65 at a calm 130 and 87 at a chatty 175. Leave a few words spare if you pause for effect.
Does the timer send my script anywhere?
No. The maths runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored.
Why is my real read longer than the timer says?
Pauses, emphasis and retakes add time. Set a pause for each paragraph break, or read the script once with a stopwatch and pick 'My own pace' with your real words per minute.
What counts as a word?
Anything between spaces with a letter or number in it. 'Don't', '4K' and '£30' each count as one. A dash on its own does not count.
Related
- How many words in a 60-second video script (and 15, 30, 90)?
Word counts for 15, 30, 60 and 90-second scripts at real speaking paces, and how to split them into beats.
- Short-form video hook formulas that work on TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Eight hook formulas with examples, the three layers every hook has, and how to check yours is working.
- Hook and shot list generator for TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Type your topic and get eight hook options and a timed shot list with framing, word budgets and a CSV download.