Estimate how long a script takes to read aloud at any words-per-minute pace, from conversational to broadcast speed. Built for voiceover artists, podcasters, and text-to-speech developers, it turns a word count into a precise duration in seconds.

TTS & Voiceover Script Timer

Estimate read time based on word count and speaking pace.

150 WPM
Slow (80)Normal (150)Fast (250)
Words14
Characters91
Sentences1
Estimated Duration0m 6s

How This Calculator Works

Script timing estimates how long a piece of text takes to read aloud, based on word count and a chosen speaking pace measured in words per minute (WPM). Podcast producers, audiobook narrators, video creators, and text-to-speech developers all need this before recording or generating audio. Typical paces range from about 130 WPM (conversational) to 180 WPM (podcast narration) and up to 210 WPM for news broadcasting. Text-to-speech engines default to roughly 150–170 WPM. Real recordings always run slightly longer than a pure WPM estimate because of pauses, emphasis, and retakes, so a 10% buffer is a good planning margin.

The Mathematical Formula & Logic

Words = the count of whitespace-separated tokens in the script.

Duration (seconds) = (Words ÷ WPM) × 60.

Minutes:Seconds = floor(Duration / 60) and round(Duration mod 60).

Worked Step-by-Step Example

A 500-word script read at a 150 WPM podcast pace:

Duration = (500 / 150) × 60 = 200 seconds = 3 minutes 20 seconds. Adding a 10% buffer for natural pauses brings the real planning time to about 3 minutes 40 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conversational speech runs about 130–150 WPM, audiobook narration 150–160 WPM, podcast narration 150–180 WPM, and news broadcasting 180–210 WPM. Auctioneers and speed readers exceed 250 WPM. For most voiceover work, 150 WPM is a safe default.

Most TTS engines (Google Wavenet, Amazon Polly, ElevenLabs) default to roughly 150–170 WPM and expose a speed setting. Build in slightly more time than the raw word count suggests, because punctuation pauses and emphasis add real duration that the word count alone understates.

Trim words rather than speed up the read. Aim for short sentences (15–20 words), write for the ear, and read the script aloud before recording — your eye skips awkward phrasing your mouth won't. Every word should earn its place.

Disclaimer: CompelKit tools and calculators are provided for educational and estimation purposes only and do not constitute certified legal, financial, or tax advice.

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