Script Timer: Free Words-to-Time Calculator
You wrote a tight little script. It reads great on the page. Then someone records it - and it runs 40 seconds long.
It happens to everyone. The page doesn't tell you how a script sounds out loud, and "it's about a page" is a guess, not a number. Our Script Timer turns your word count into an actual runtime in seconds, so you know before you book the booth, brief the voice artist, or lock the storyboard.
Paste your script above, pick a pace, and you've got your answer. Below, a quick guide to getting that number right - written by a studio that's timed a lot of scripts.
What "script timing" actually means
Script timing is simply estimating how long your words take to say out loud. Not to read silently - to perform.
That distinction matters. Silent reading runs 200-300 words per minute. A voice artist delivering a polished explainer lands closer to 150. Add the breaths, the beats, the moment a line needs to land, and the gap between "looks short" and "sounds long" is exactly where projects slip.
Get the timing right and everything downstream gets easier: the edit, the music, the animation, the budget.
Why a few seconds change everything
In short-form video, length isn't a detail - it's the whole game.
- Attention is fragile. A 90-second explainer that should've been 60 loses people before the payoff. Timing is pacing, and pacing is retention.
- Every platform has a ceiling. Pre-roll, paid social, a homepage hero - each has a sweet spot. Timing keeps you inside it.
- Production costs scale with seconds. In animation, every extra second is real money. Trimming on the page is free; trimming in post is not.
- Performances get better. When a voice artist knows a line has 8 seconds, they deliver it for 8 seconds. Guesswork makes flat reads.
How many words per minute?
There's no single "correct" speed - it depends on the content and the feeling you want. Here's where we usually land:
- Slow & clear - ~120 wpm: complex B2B, finance, healthcare, luxury - when every word has to register.
- Conversational - ~135 wpm: brand films, founder stories, anything human and warm.
- Explainer (our default) - ~150 wpm: product explainers, SaaS, onboarding - clear but with momentum.
- Energetic - ~170 wpm: promos, launches, social ads - upbeat and punchy.
- Fast / disclaimer - ~190+ wpm: hard time limits, legal lines, the fine print.
Rule of thumb worth memorising: at explainer pace, ~150 words is about 1 minute.
Word count to runtime cheat sheet
Don't want to do the math? At our default explainer pace (150 wpm):
- 75 words - about 0:30
- 150 words - about 1:00
- 225 words - about 1:30
- 300 words - about 2:00
- 450 words - about 3:00
- 600 words - about 4:00
Faster pace? Shave roughly 10-15%. Slower, more deliberate read? Add about the same. The timer above does this live, including extra time for natural pauses - just toggle it on.
How we time scripts at MezzoLab
We've spent 14 years making explainer videos for teams at Meta, Remote, Headspace and a long list of others - which means we've timed hundreds of scripts and watched what happens when the number's wrong.
A few things we've learned the hard way:
- Time it before you storyboard. A script that's 30 seconds long on paper but two minutes out loud will quietly blow up your animation budget. We catch it at the script stage, every time.
- 150 is the honest default for explainers. It's clear enough to follow and quick enough to hold attention. We start there and adjust per brand.
- Read it out loud once. Tools get you 95% of the way; your own mouth finds the last 5% - the tongue-twister, the line that needs a breath, the sentence that's secretly two.
That obsession with pacing is part of why our process takes about three hours of your time, kickoff to delivery. We do the timing so you don't have to.
Tips to hit a target length
Got a hard ceiling - a 60-second slot, a 30-second ad? Use target mode in the timer above (type 1:00) and it'll tell you how many words you're over or under. Then:
- Cut adjectives before you cut ideas. "Powerful, intuitive, all-in-one platform" becomes "platform." The meaning survives; the seconds don't.
- One idea per sentence. Long sentences read long. Break them.
- Trim the intro, not the payoff. The first 5 seconds are usually the most over-written.
- Read at the real pace. A line you rush in your head will take longer in the booth. Trust the timer, then confirm out loud.
More free tools from MezzoLab
- Explainer Video ROI Calculator
- Top Explainer Video Script Examples
- Everything You Need to Know About Explainer Videos
FAQ
How accurate is the Script Timer?
Very - for spoken-word estimates. It calculates runtime from your word count and a words-per-minute pace, with an optional allowance for natural pauses. For a polished, performed read, the explainer default (150 wpm) lands within a few seconds of the real thing. Always confirm a hard deadline by reading the final script out loud.
How many words is a 1-minute video?
About 150 words at a normal explainer pace. For a slower, more deliberate delivery, plan for ~120-130; for an upbeat promo, you can fit 170+. The timer above lets you switch pace and see the exact count.
What's a good words-per-minute for a voiceover?
For most explainer and product videos, 150 words per minute is the sweet spot - clear but with momentum. Drop to ~120 for complex or premium content, and push to ~170-190 for energetic ads or tight time limits.
Can I use this for screenplays, podcasts and ads?
Yes. The Script Timer works for any spoken script - screenplays, explainer and product videos, radio and social ads, podcast episodes, YouTube intros. Just pick the pace that matches your delivery.
Why does my script sound longer than it reads?
Because reading silently is roughly twice as fast as performing out loud, and the page hides the breaths, beats and pauses a real delivery needs. That gap is exactly what this tool measures - and why "it's about a page" is usually wrong.
Do you make the videos too?
We do - that's our day job. MezzoLab is a motion design studio with 14 years of experience making explainer videos for products people use every day. If you've got the script timed and want it brought to life, talk to us.
