Script timer: how long your script takes to say
The script timer turns words to minutes. Paste a script to see how long it takes to say at a slow, average and fast pace, and whether it fits a TikTok, a Reel or a Short. At 150 words a minute, a 60-second script is about 150 words. Or load a subtitle file to get the exact length.
How to time a script
- 1Paste your script into the box, or load the subtitle file of a video you have already made.
- 2Read the speaking time at each pace, the word and character count, and whether the video fits each platform’s limit.
- 3Type a target length, such as 30 s, to see how many words fit, then cut or add lines until the script fits.
How the script timer works out the time
The script timer counts your words and divides them by a speaking pace in words per minute. It uses 3 paces: slow at 120, average at 150 and fast at 170. The National Center for Voice and Speech puts the average for English speakers in the United States at about 150 words a minute. VirtualSpeech gives 120 to 150 for conversation, and Teleprompter.com gives 170 or more for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
A word is any run of text between spaces or line breaks, so a number such as 2026 or 10,000 counts as one word. While the switch is on, notes in [brackets] or (parentheses), such as [pause] or (cut to B-roll), are left out, because you do not say them.
The estimate cannot see pauses. A beat before the punchline, a laugh or a product shot with no talking all add time the word count misses. Pace also changes from person to person and from take to take. Read the script aloud once with a stopwatch, see which pace is closest to yours, and plan with that row.
A subtitle file gives the real length, pauses included: the timer reads the time the last subtitle ends. It also shows the pace in the file, which is your own words a minute for the next script.
National Center for Voice and Speech: Voice qualities
How many words fit in 15, 30, 60 and 90 seconds
At an average pace, a 30-second video holds about 75 words and a 60-second script about 150. The figures round down, so a script written to the count does not run over. Slow is 120, average 150 and fast 170 words a minute.
- 15 seconds: 30 words slow, 37 average, 42 fast
- 30 seconds: 60 words slow, 75 average, 85 fast
- 60 seconds: 120 words slow, 150 average, 170 fast
- 90 seconds: 180 words slow, 225 average, 255 fast
How long a video can be on TikTok, Reels and Shorts
These are the limits each platform’s help page gave when we checked on October 11, 2026. They change often, so open the source before you plan a long video. The timer marks a script as fitting when its time, rounded to the second, is at or under the limit.
- TikTok: up to 60 min for a video you upload in the app, and up to 10 min for one you record with the TikTok camera. TikTok’s creator tools page gives 30 min for uploads from a computer.
- Instagram Reels: up to 20 min. Instagram says Reels over 3 min are not recommended to new audiences. The help page gives no separate limit for uploads.
- YouTube Shorts: up to 3 min.
TikTok Help Center: Camera tools
TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators
Tips for writing a short-form script
A short script has no room for a run-up. These habits keep the point near the start and the words readable on a muted feed:
- Front-load the hook: say why the video is worth watching in the first sentence, not after an introduction.
- Cut the warm-up: “Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel” is 7 words, about 3 seconds at an average pace, before the video has said anything.
- Write for the sound off: many viewers scroll with the sound off, so captions carry your words. Burned-in captions, drawn onto the picture, show the opening line before anyone turns the volume up.
- Leave room under the limit: pauses and retakes add time the word count cannot see.
- Read it aloud before you film: a sentence that is hard to say is hard to follow.
Script timer questions
- How long is a 60 second script?
- About 150 words at an average pace. A slow speaker fits about 120 words in 60 seconds and a fast one about 170, so write to the low end if you leave pauses.
- How many words are in a 30 second video?
- About 75 words at an average pace of 150 words a minute. Depending on how fast you talk, it is 60 to 85 words.
- How do I convert words to minutes?
- Divide the word count by your speaking pace in words per minute. At 150 words a minute, a 300-word script takes about 2 min to say.
- How accurate is the script timer?
- It is an estimate. It counts words, not pauses, and pace varies from person to person, so a real take can run several seconds longer or shorter. For the exact length, load the subtitle file of the finished video.
- How long can a TikTok, Reel or Short be?
- Up to 60 min for a TikTok uploaded in the app (10 min recorded with the TikTok camera), 20 min for an Instagram Reel and 3 min for a YouTube Short, as each help page said on October 11, 2026.
- Is my script uploaded?
- No. The script timer counts your words in the browser, on this page, and does not send the script anywhere.
Sources
- VirtualSpeech: Average speaking rate and words per minute, checked October 11, 2026
- National Center for Voice and Speech: Voice qualities, checked October 11, 2026
- Teleprompter.com: How to time your script for video content, checked October 11, 2026
- TikTok Help Center: Camera tools, checked October 11, 2026
- Instagram Help Center: Record a reel on Instagram, checked October 11, 2026
- YouTube Help: Upload YouTube Shorts, checked October 11, 2026
- TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators, checked October 11, 2026