Free tool
Video script length calculator: words to minutes
Paste your script to see how long it takes to read aloud as a voice-over. At a conversational pace, English runs about 147 words a minute, so a 60-second video holds roughly 147 words and a 30-second video about 73. The calculator covers 22 narration languages, uses the same speaking rates as ViralDub's video director and runs in your browser.
A 1 min 00 s video holds about 147 words of narration at this pace. Your script fits, with room for 70 more.
Have a script that fits? ViralDub films your product, voices this script in any of 22 languages and syncs the captions.
Make it a video, freeHow many words fit in a video?
| Video length | Calm (125 wpm) | Conversational (147 wpm) | Upbeat (169 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 31 | 36 | 42 |
| 30 seconds | 62 | 73 | 84 |
| 45 seconds | 93 | 110 | 126 |
| 60 seconds | 124 | 147 | 169 |
| 90 seconds | 187 | 220 | 253 |
| 2 minutes | 249 | 294 | 338 |
| 3 minutes | 374 | 441 | 507 |
| 5 minutes | 624 | 735 | 845 |
Speaking rates by language
Languages are spoken at different speeds and use words of different lengths, so the same 60 seconds holds a different amount of text. These are the conversational rates the calculator uses:
| Languages | Words per second | Words per minute | Words in 60 s |
|---|---|---|---|
| English, French, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian | 2.45 | 147 | 147 |
| Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil) | 2.5 | 150 | 150 |
| German, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Russian | 2.1 | 126 | 126 |
| Japanese, Korean, Chinese (2 characters = 1 unit) | 3.2 units | 192 units | about 384 characters |
How the calculator works
- It counts words separated by spaces. For Japanese, Korean and Chinese it counts characters and treats two as one word unit.
- It divides by the language's conversational rate, then adjusts for the pace you pick.
- The "words that fit" line multiplies the video length by the same rate, so you know how much to cut.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a 1-minute script?
About 147 words of English at a conversational pace. A calm tutorial voice reads about 125, and an upbeat ad voice about 169.
How many words is a 30-second voice-over?
About 73 words of English at a conversational pace, 62 if calm and 84 if upbeat.
How long is a 500-word script?
About 3 minutes 24 seconds of English at a conversational pace (147 words a minute).
What is a normal speaking rate for voice-over?
Most narration falls between 120 and 170 words a minute. Explainers and demos sit near 150; tutorials go slower so viewers can follow along.
Why does German take longer than English?
German uses longer compound words and is usually spoken a little slower in narration, so the same 60 seconds fits about 126 German words compared with 147 English ones.