DuoPromptFree tool
Script length calculator
Paste your script to see how long it takes to read. At an average pace of about 145 words a minute, a 60-second video is roughly 145 words and a 30-second one about 70. Pick your pace below to fit your own delivery.
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Section lines (## Hook) and cues like [show: Promo code] aren't counted.
Read time
0:00
0 words at 145 words per minute
Speaking pace
Words for common lengths
- 15 seconds36 words
- 30 seconds73 words
- 1 minute145 words
- 1.5 minutes218 words
- 2 minutes290 words
Too long?
DuoPrompt's Tighten rewrites a script to 30 seconds, 1 minute, 90 seconds or 2 minutes, measured at your own speaking pace, using Apple's on-device model. And while you record, the timeline shows the percentage read and the time left.
New to scripting? Read how to write a teleprompter script.
Script length questions
How many words is a 60-second script?
About 130 to 160 words at a typical conversational pace, or roughly 145 at an average 145 words per minute. Fast talkers fit around 170; slow, deliberate delivery closer to 120.
How many words is a 30-second script?
Roughly 65 to 80 words at a conversational pace. Short-form video usually reads faster than presentations, so test yours by reading it out loud.
How many words per minute do people speak?
Conversational speech commonly runs about 130 to 160 words per minute, though it varies a lot from person to person and with the material. DuoPrompt measures your own pace during setup.
How is read time calculated?
Word count divided by words per minute. This calculator skips section labels (lines starting with ##) and bracketed cues like [show: Promo code], because they aren't spoken.