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About this tool
Split a script into numbered narration blocks with per-cue word counts, running timecodes and an estimated read time at your pace.
A voiceover cue sheet is a script broken into short numbered blocks a narrator can read in one breath group without losing their place, and this formatter builds one automatically. It groups whole sentences up to your chosen word limit, splits an over-long sentence at clause punctuation rather than mid-phrase, and stamps each cue with a word count and running timecode derived from the standard words-per-minute model (seconds = words divided by pace, times 60). Text inside square brackets is preserved as a direction and excluded from the spoken word count.
Open Voiceover Script Formatter on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Paste or type the text you're working with.
Choose how it should be transformed or analyzed.
Copy the finished text into your document or post.
Blocks break between sentences, and only fall back to comma and dash splits when one sentence is too long.
Each block shows where it lands in the read, so you can spot the section that overruns.
Bracketed notes stay visible for the narrator but never inflate the word count or the timing.
At a standard 150 words per minute a 60-second read is about 150 words; at a fast promo pace of 185 wpm it is around 185. Trim to roughly 140 words if the spot needs music breathing room or a legal tag at the end.
Most finished narration lands between 130 and 165 words per minute. Audiobooks and technical e-learning sit nearer 130-150 so listeners can follow, conversational podcast reads run 150-165, and advertising promos push 180 and above.
Around 25 to 40 words works for most reads — roughly 10 to 16 seconds at 150 wpm, which is one comfortable breath group plus a pause. Shorter blocks of 15 to 20 words suit line-by-line ADR or heavily edited e-learning where each cue is recorded separately.
Put them in square brackets on their own line, such as [Pause for two seconds] or [Warmer, slower here]. This formatter recognises a bracketed line as a direction, labels the cue accordingly and leaves those words out of both the word count and the estimated duration.