Ijharul Islam
A video script runs at about 150 words per minute at an average speaking pace, so a 30-second video needs about 75 words, a 1-minute video 150 words and a 5-minute video 750 words. A slow, clear read (training, explainers for beginners) is closer to 120 words per minute, and a fast, energetic one (ads, social clips) about 170.
Below is a chart of script lengths from 15 seconds to 10 minutes, how to choose your pace, how to time your own read, and how to trim a script that runs long.
The short answer
Plan on 150 words per minute for a video script: about 38 words for 15 seconds, 75 for 30 seconds, 150 for 1 minute, 300 for 2 minutes and 1,500 for 10 minutes. Use 120 wpm for slow, clear narration and 170 for fast ads. Then read it aloud with a timer, because pauses, numbers and on-screen moments add time.
Key takeaways
- 150 words per minute is the planning average; 120 is slow and clear, 170 is fast.
- A 30-second ad holds about 60-85 words; a 60-second Short about 120-170.
- Numbers, names, URLs and pauses for visuals take longer than plain words.
- Time the script by reading it aloud at your real pace, or with a calculator before you record.
- If it runs long, cut words, don't speed up the read.
Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.
Words per minute for a video script: the chart
Multiply the length in minutes by the pace. The middle column (150 wpm) is the one to plan with.
| Video length | Slow (120 wpm) | Average (150 wpm) | Fast (170 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 30 words | 38 words | 43 words |
| 30 seconds | 60 words | 75 words | 85 words |
| 45 seconds | 90 words | 113 words | 128 words |
| 60 seconds | 120 words | 150 words | 170 words |
| 90 seconds | 180 words | 225 words | 255 words |
| 2 minutes | 240 words | 300 words | 340 words |
| 3 minutes | 360 words | 450 words | 510 words |
| 5 minutes | 600 words | 750 words | 850 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,200 words | 1,500 words | 1,700 words |
Going the other way, divide the word count by the pace: a 500-word script takes about 3 minutes 20 seconds at 150 wpm, just over 4 minutes at 120 and just under 3 minutes at 170.
QuickVeed's free words to minutes calculator does both directions: paste a script (or type a word count) to get its spoken length at 120, 150, 170 or your own pace, or pick a target length to see how many words fit. It also counts characters and estimates how many caption lines the script needs. It is free, runs in your browser and never uploads your file.
Which speaking pace to use, by type of video
Pace depends on the audience and the job of the video. These are sensible starting points, not rules:
| Type of video | Typical pace | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Training, onboarding, compliance | 120-140 wpm | Viewers need to follow and remember steps |
| Explainer or product demo | 140-150 wpm | Clear, but shouldn't drag; leave pauses for visuals |
| YouTube talking head or tutorial | 150-160 wpm | Conversational; can be edited tighter |
| Social ad, UGC-style ad, Short | 160-170 wpm | Energetic; every second counts |
| Audience not in their first language | 120-130 wpm | Slower speech is easier to follow and subtitle |
If the video will be subtitled or translated, slower helps there too. Captions are easier to read at a moderate pace, and translations often run longer than the English; see subtitle reading speed.
How to time your own script
- Get a word count. Any word processor shows it, or paste the script into the calculator.
- Divide by 150 for a first estimate in minutes.
- Read it aloud with a timer, at the pace you'll really use, including the pauses. Most people read faster in their head than out loud.
- Work out your own pace: words ÷ seconds × 60. If 180 words took 75 seconds, your pace is 144 wpm. Use that number from now on.
- Add time for visual moments: a product shot, a screen demo or a title card with no speech. Mark these in the script as [3 s pause].
Some words take longer than their count suggests. “$1,250” is one “word” but six spoken ones (“one thousand two hundred fifty dollars”). Web addresses, product codes, names and lists slow every reader down. Write numbers the way they should be spoken if a voice or a person will read them.
Worked example: a 30-second ad
A 30-second ad at 150 wpm fits 75 words, but you'll want about 2 seconds for the opening shot and 3 for the logo and call to action at the end. That leaves 25 seconds of speech, or about 62 words. Write to 60 and you have room to breathe.
Script length for Shorts, ads and YouTube videos
| Format | Common length | Script at 150 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| Hook or bumper ad | 6-15 s | 15-38 words |
| UGC-style or social ad | 15-30 s | 38-75 words |
| YouTube Short, Reel or TikTok | 15-60 s (Shorts can be up to 3 minutes) | 38-150 words |
| Explainer or product demo | 60-120 s | 150-300 words |
| YouTube tutorial | 5-12 min | 750-1,800 words |
| Training module | 3-6 min per topic | 360-720 words at 120 wpm |
YouTube's help page says Shorts can now be up to three minutes long, but most short-form videos that hold attention are well under a minute. A longer limit is not a reason to write longer.
For long YouTube videos, a word-for-word script can sound stiff. Many creators script the opening 30 seconds and the key points, and speak the rest from bullet notes. The word count is still useful for estimating length and editing time.
Turning the script into a video in QuickVeed
Once the script is the right length, these QuickVeed tools take it from text to audio or video. Limits and prices are as of October 2026:
- Voiceover: the AI voice generator reads up to 10,000 characters in one go (roughly 1,600-1,800 English words), with 9 text-to-speech models priced per 1,000 characters, from 7 credits (Chatterbox) to 25 (ElevenLabs v3). A 150-word, 1-minute script is usually 800-950 characters. You can clone a voice from a short sample, with the speaker's consent.
- UGC-style ad: UGC video ads take your own script of 12 to 80 words, which is about 5 to 32 seconds at 150 wpm, or write 3 script angles for you. A 20-second Standard ad with captions is 132 credits. The presenters are fictional AI creators, and scripts never pose as real customer reviews.
- Talking avatar: AI avatars speak a typed script for up to 30 seconds per video, about 75 words; the Full Avatar with P-Video Avatar costs 63 credits per 10 seconds.
The calculator flags whether a script fits a UGC ad's 12-80 words. For longer narrated videos, see the best text-to-speech voices for YouTube.
A 60-second script template with word counts
A structure helps you hit the length without counting every word. This one fits a 60-second explainer, ad or Short at 150 words per minute:
| Part | Time | Words | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | 0-5 s | about 12 | States the problem or the result in one line |
| Problem | 5-15 s | about 25 | Makes the viewer recognise themselves |
| Solution | 15-40 s | about 63 | Shows how it works, in two or three steps |
| Proof | 40-52 s | about 30 | One example, number or demo |
| Call to action | 52-60 s | about 20 | One thing to do next |
An example at about 150 words, for a made-up bakery's online ordering:
Hook: “You can now skip the morning queue at Main Street Bakery.” Problem: “Between eight and nine, the line goes out the door, and by the time you reach the counter the cinnamon rolls are usually gone. If you're on your way to work, that's ten minutes you don't have.” Solution: “Here's how it works now. Open our website on your phone and tap Order ahead. Pick your bread, pastries and coffee, choose a pickup time from seven o'clock, and pay online. When you arrive, walk past the line to the green pickup shelf by the door, find your name on the bag, and go. Your coffee is made two minutes before your pickup time, so it's hot.” Proof: “Since we started last month, more than a hundred regulars order this way every morning, and most are in and out in under a minute.” Call to action: “Order tonight for tomorrow. The link is in our bio, and your first coffee is on us.”
Read aloud, that takes about a minute at a natural pace. Notice that the numbers are written the way they're spoken (“seven o'clock”, “a hundred”), which keeps a voice or an AI narrator from stumbling.
How to cut a script that runs long
- Cut the warm-up. “Hi everyone, in today's video...” is often 10 seconds nobody needs. Start with the point.
- Remove one idea, not ten words. A script that's 30% too long usually has one section too many.
- Show instead of say. If the screen shows the price, the voice doesn't need to read it.
- Shorten sentences. “In order to” becomes “to”; “at this point in time” becomes “now”.
- Don't fix it by speeding up. Reading at 190 wpm to fit 60 seconds sounds rushed and is harder to follow. A shorter script read well beats a long one read fast.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a 1-minute video script?
About 150 words at an average speaking pace. A slow, clear read fits about 120 words and a fast one about 170.
How many words is a 30-second script?
About 75 words at 150 words per minute, or 60-65 if you leave time for an opening shot and a call to action.
How many words per minute is a normal speaking pace?
Around 150 words per minute is a common planning figure for narration. Conversational speech can be faster, and careful instructional reading slower, around 120.
How long is a 1,000-word script?
About 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150 words per minute, about 8 minutes 20 seconds at 120 and just under 6 minutes at 170.
How many words for a 10-minute YouTube video?
About 1,500 words at 150 wpm. With pauses for demos and B-roll, 1,200-1,400 words is often enough.
Try it with your own video
Time your script with the free words to minutes calculator, then turn it into a voiceover, avatar video or UGC-style ad. Paste your script, pick a voice, and judge the first take for yourself. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 75 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
