How many words is a 30-second ad?

About 75 at 150 words a minute. Many 30-second voice-over scripts sit between 60 and 75 words, which leaves room to breathe and a moment for the offer or the logo at the end.

How long is a 500-word script?

About 3:20 at an average pace, 2:47 fast and 4:33 slow (minutes and seconds).

Does the timer count numbers and hyphenated words?

Yes. A number like 2026 counts as one word, and so does a hyphenated word like "behind-the-scenes". Numbers take longer to say than they look, so a script full of figures will run a little long.

Can I leave notes in my script?

Yes. Put them in square brackets, like [show the product], and they're left out of the word count and the time.

Do you keep my script?

Your script stays on this device, so it's still here if you reload the page. Nothing is sent anywhere.

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Video script timer

Paste your script to see how long it runs when you say it out loud. Set the length it has to fit, like 30 or 60 seconds, and see how many words to cut.

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Speaking time

Paste your script to see how long it runs.

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Script length for common video lengths

How many words to write for each length, at a slow, average and fast pace.

Length	Slow (110)	Average (150)	Fast (180)	Good for
6 sec	11 words	15 words	18 words	A bumper ad, or the hook at the start of a video
15 sec	27 words	37 words	45 words	A short ad, or a single story frame
30 sec	55 words	75 words	90 words	A standard ad spot, or one quick tip
45 sec	82 words	112 words	135 words	A tip or a how-to with one example
1 min	110 words	150 words	180 words	A full short video: hook, point and payoff
1:30	165 words	225 words	270 words	A product demo or a short explainer
2 min	220 words	300 words	360 words	An explainer with two or three steps
3 min	330 words	450 words	540 words	A longer Short or Reel, or a YouTube intro section

Why video scripts run faster than speeches

Talking to camera for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, most creators speak faster than they would on a stage, often 160 to 190 words a minute. There's no audience to wait for, and jump cuts take out the breaths and pauses, so the edited video runs quicker than the take you recorded.

Voice-over is different. A calm explainer or documentary read sits nearer 140 to 150 words a minute, and an ad read can be quick but needs a beat before the offer. Pick the pace that matches how the video will sound: fast for talking to camera, average for a calm voice-over.

Time the hook on its own

The first two or three seconds decide whether someone keeps watching. At an average pace that's five to eight words, so the opening line has to make its point that fast.

Paste just the hook into the timer to check it, then the whole script. If the full script runs over, cut from the middle: the hook and the payoff are the parts people remember.

How the timer counts words

Anything with a letter or a number in it counts as one word, so "behind-the-scenes", "2026" and "don't" each count once. A dash on its own between two spaces doesn't count, and line breaks don't matter.

Numbers take longer to say than they look: "$1,250" is "twelve hundred and fifty dollars". A script full of figures runs a little long, so leave a few seconds spare. Words in [square brackets] are skipped, so you can leave yourself notes like [show the product] or [cut to B-roll] without changing the time.

Questions

Asked often

Last checked 2 October 2026

About 150 words at an average pace, 110 if you speak slowly and 180 if you speak fast. Most creators talking to camera land between 160 and 180.

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