Free tool
Script duration calculator
Paste a script and see how long it runs when read aloud, beat by beat.
Your script
Duration
0:18 read aloud
- 0:00–0:05In 1976 he sold his…Hook
- 0:06–0:09Nobody wanted it. Two banks…
- 0:09–0:14Then one shop ordered fifty,…
- 0:15–0:18That order became the company…Payoff
How it works
- Paste the script, one beat per line.
- Choose a reading speed, or set your own.
- See the total time and each beat's time. Nothing leaves the browser.
Timing shapes a short. The first few seconds decide whether a viewer stays, so the hook has to be said quickly, and a short documentary often has about a minute or less for the whole story, so every beat after the hook has to earn its place. Knowing how long each line runs before anything is recorded or animated saves cutting good material later.
Speech rates vary from person to person and with the material. Published guidance gives about 100 to 125 words a minute for comfortable slide presentations, and 150 to 160 words a minute for audiobooks. A calm, explaining voice sits near the lower figures and a brisk narration near the upper ones; the presets here follow those ranges.
The time for each beat is its words divided by the reading speed, and the total adds the pauses you set between beats. Use it to find the beat that runs long, to check the hook fits in the first seconds, and to trim before you record. Then read a few lines aloud at your own pace, and set the reading speed to match.
- Times are estimates. Read a few lines aloud to check your own pace.
- The total includes the pauses between beats.
Sources
- Words per minute: speech and listening, Wikipedia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Last reviewed 15 October 2026.