Rescreen / Free tools / Script timer
Script timer and speaking time calculator
Paste your script to see how long it will take to say. Pauses and on-screen actions are counted separately from the words, so a tutorial’s clicks and waits are part of the estimate. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Rehearsal timer
Read the script aloud and do the clicks for real. Press Next section at each heading to compare against the estimate.
0:00
Not started
How to time a script
From a pasted draft to a length you can plan a recording around.
Paste your script
Paste or type it into the box, or press Load example to see one. The estimate updates as you type.
Mark the pauses and clicks
Start sections with
#, add[pause]where you stop, and put on-screen actions in brackets, like[click Save 4s].Set your pace and target
Pick a speaking rate, or a preset, and enter a target length to see how many words fit.
Rehearse against the clock
Read it aloud with the rehearsal timer, press Next section at each heading, and apply the rate you really used.
How the estimate is worked out
Speaking time is the number of spoken words divided by your speaking rate: words ÷ words per minute × 60 = seconds. A 300-word script read at 150 words per minute takes two minutes. The timer then adds every pause and screen action you have written in, because those take the same time whether you talk quickly or slowly.
The range under the total shows the same script read 10% faster and 10% slower. Your pace on a real take rarely matches a rehearsal exactly, so treat the middle figure as a planning number, not a promise.
Marking pauses, actions and sections
- Sections: a line starting with
#begins a new section. The heading is not counted as speech, and each section gets its own start time and length. - Pauses:
[pause]uses the default pause.[pause 3s]sets one.[beat],[wait]and[silence]count as pauses too. - Screen actions: any other bracketed note is time spent on screen without speaking, such as
[open Settings 5s]or[wait for upload 1 min]. Without a duration it uses the default action time.
Words joined by an apostrophe, hyphen or decimal point count once: “don’t”, “well-known”, “3.5” and “1,000” are one word each. Numbers and abbreviations are often said as several words, so a script full of them will run a little longer than shown.
Worked example
Load the example above. It is a three-section script for a short settings walkthrough: 33 spoken words, one default pause and one two-second pause (4 seconds), and two timed screen actions (7 seconds). At 140 words per minute the words take about 14 seconds, so the estimate is 0:25, with a range of 0:24 to 0:27.
Notice that 11 of those 25 seconds are not speech at all. Change the rate to 170 and the total falls only to about 0:23, because the clicks and pauses do not speed up. That is why a word count alone underestimates a tutorial: the viewer needs time to see each change, and the estimate should include it. If you leave the actions out, a script that looks like two minutes can easily record at three.
Choosing a speaking rate
Most people narrate somewhere between about 120 and 170 words per minute. A careful tutorial, where the viewer is following along in another window, usually sits at the slow end; a relaxed explainer sits in the middle; a confident presenter reading a familiar script can go faster. These are rough rules of thumb, not measurements of you.
The most reliable rate is your own. Read one section aloud with the rehearsal timer and the page will work out the rate you actually used, after taking off the time for pauses and actions. Press Use this rate to apply it to the whole script.
Fitting a script to a target length
Enter a target such as 2:00 and the timer shows the word budget: how many spoken words fit once your pauses and actions have been taken out. If you are over, cut words rather than the pauses a viewer needs to follow along. A cut that removes the moment a confirmation appears makes the video shorter and harder to use.
For a full planning method, from defining one visible outcome to a shot list and release checklist, read how to make a tutorial video. To trim the umms and repeated sentences after recording, see removing filler words from a video.
Limitations
- It is an estimate. Ad-libs, breaths, retakes and slow-loading screens are not in the script, so a real recording usually runs longer.
- Words are counted as written. Numbers, symbols and abbreviations may be spoken as more words than they look.
- Word counting works for languages that separate words with spaces. Chinese, Japanese and Thai text will be undercounted.
- The script is not saved. Reloading the page clears it, so keep your own copy.
Is my script uploaded?
No. The timer runs entirely in your browser and makes no network request with your script. We count anonymous page views and whether the tool was used; those events never include the script, its length or its contents. See the privacy policy.
Only on your device
Your script is never uploaded or saved.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to say 1,000 words?
About 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150 words per minute, or 7 minutes 42 seconds at 130. Add any pauses and on-screen actions on top.
How many words is a 2-minute video?
Around 260 to 300 spoken words at 130 to 150 words per minute, before pauses. A tutorial with several clicks and waits will fit fewer; enter 2:00 as the target to see the budget for your script.
Does the timer work on a phone?
Yes. It needs no account or download and uses only standard browser features found in current Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox. We have tested it in Chrome on desktop and at phone screen sizes.
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