Script Timer

Use this script timer to plan before you record

A script timer turns word count into an estimated speaking time. Paste your text, choose a pace, and the result updates instantly in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

This is useful for teleprompter scripts, presentations, podcasts, voice-overs, lessons, and talking-head videos. It gives you a practical target before you rehearse the final delivery.

Words to minutes: the calculation

The formula is simple: speaking time in minutes = number of words ÷ words per minute. A 650-word script at 130 WPM takes about five minutes. Pauses, emphasis, audience reactions, and scene changes can make the real recording longer.

How many words are in a 3-minute speech?

Your own pace is more useful than a generic average. Measure it with the words per minute calculator, then return here and set the slider to your result.

How to get a more realistic estimate

1. Paste the final version of your script.
2. Choose a pace close to the way you actually speak.
3. Add time for pauses, demonstrations, transitions, and calls to action.
4. Do one practice read and compare the real duration with the estimate.

Convert words to minutes

Turning words to minutes needs one number: your speaking speed. The conversion is simply minutes = word count ÷ words per minute.

A 900-word script read at 150 wpm runs six minutes. The same script read at 120 wpm runs seven and a half. That ninety-second gap is the difference between fitting a slot and overrunning it, which is why a generic average is a poor substitute for your own measurement from the words per minute calculator.

How many words in a 3 minute speech?

At a typical presentation pace of about 130 words per minute, a three-minute speech is roughly 390 words. Between 350 and 450 words is a sensible working range, depending on how much you pause.

Two things stretch a script beyond its word count: pauses you have not written down, and sentences that are longer on the page than they are in the mouth. If you time a script and it consistently runs long, the cause is usually pausing, not reading speed.

Time a script before you record, not after

The cheapest edit is the one you make before pressing record. Paste the draft, check the runtime, and cut to length while the words are still easy to change.

1. Measure your real speaking speed once.
2. Paste the script here and read the estimated duration.
3. Cut or expand to fit the slot you actually have.
4. Read it aloud once to confirm the estimate holds.

Script timer FAQ