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About this tool
Estimate spoken runtime from a script or word count, including punctuation pauses, and see the pace or word count needed to hit a target length.
Spoken runtime is word count divided by speaking pace, plus the time spent in pauses: seconds = words / wpm x 60, with roughly half a second added per sentence end, a fifth of a second per comma and a little under a second per paragraph break. This estimator applies that to a pasted script or a plain word count, then tells you the word budget and the pace you would need to land on a target length such as a 30-second spot. Written for voice artists, video editors and e-learning producers who have to fit a fixed slot.
Open Voiceover Script Duration Estimator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Punctuation and paragraph breaks are added on top of the raw reading time, not ignored.
Shows the word budget, the words to cut, and the pace that would make the script fit.
Seven delivery styles from meditation at 100 wpm to commercial reads at 175 wpm.
About 75 words at a neutral 150 words per minute, or roughly 85-90 at a faster commercial read of 170-180 wpm. Directed pauses, product names and legal lines all eat into that, so most 30-second commercial scripts are written closer to 65-75 words.
Around 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150 words per minute. At a slower instructional 120 wpm it is about 8 minutes 20 seconds, and at a fast 180 wpm about 5 minutes 30 seconds. Sentence and paragraph pauses typically add another 5-15%.
Publishers commonly expect narration in the 150-160 words-per-minute range, which is close to unhurried conversational speech. Non-fiction with dense terminology usually sits at the lower end, and dialogue-heavy fiction at the higher end.
Estimates assume steady delivery with no retakes. Breaths, directed beats, music stings, an emphasised product name and any ad-libbed pickup all add time. Use the estimate to plan, then time an actual read before locking to a fixed slot.
Add the Voiceover Script Duration Estimatorwidget to your blog or website — free, responsive, no signup. Just keep the “Widget by AltFTool” credit link visible.
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