Fits in
Paragraph by paragraph
Last updated 28 August 2026
Words are not seconds
The usual rule of thumb — 150 words a minute — is a reasonable average and a poor prediction for any specific person. Delivery style moves it enormously: a measured, deliberate read lands nearer 110, an energetic YouTube pace pushes past 170, and the same script read by two people can differ by half a minute over five minutes of content. What the rule of thumb misses entirely is pauses. Every paragraph break, every beat left for emphasis, every breath adds up, and on a script with twenty paragraphs a one-second pause each adds twenty seconds nobody counted. That is why the pause allowance is a separate control here rather than being folded into the words-per-minute figure. If you want a genuinely accurate number, read thirty seconds of your own script aloud, count the words, and multiply by two.
Common questions
What speaking pace should I choose?
Around 140 words a minute suits most conversational video. Slow down to about 110 for tutorials and anything technical where the viewer needs to follow along; push to 170 for energetic, fast-cut content. Audiobook narration sits near 150 and news reading near 165.
Why is there a separate pause setting?
Because pauses are where estimates usually go wrong. A script with twenty paragraph breaks and a one-second beat at each is twenty seconds longer than the word count suggests — which is the difference between fitting a sixty-second slot and missing it.
How accurate is the estimate?
Close, if the pace matches how you actually speak. The way to find your real number is to read thirty seconds of your own script aloud, count the words and double it, then enter that as a custom pace.
Does it count numbers and abbreviations correctly?
It counts them as single words, which is how they are written but not always how they are read. A figure like 1,250,000 takes several seconds to say aloud, so scripts heavy with numbers will run longer than the estimate.