Voice Over Script Timer Calculator

Clients often ask, “how long will my voiceover script be?” Don’t rely on scratch tracks from production assistants or AI. They will zoom through the script without proper pacing. Instead, check out the Script Timer Voiceover Calculator! My experience in post-production and as a voice talent taught me that for long-form narrations (corporate video, documentaries, eLearning) one should figure around 140 words per minute of script. Yes, voice over talents may read such scripts at 145 WPM when they record. However, with spaces for edits and transitions it declines to 140 WPM. This number can go as low as 130 wpm if you have a lot of time for graphics and transitions in your video. Or it can go as high as 160-170 wpm if you want the script to go very fast. I wouldn’t recommend such a pace for more than five minutes, or the audience will face “listening fatigue”. On the other hand, broadcast commercials are lightning-quick, and 180 WPM and higher are often typical, especially for hard-sell spots. Enter your script word count into the calculator and desired pace from 130 to 180 words-per-minute in the calculator to see how long your script will be. There’s also convenient downloadable PDF Voice Over Script Timer spreadsheet available from lanceblairvo.com