Free tool from Channel Wise. No sign-up needed.
How long does your YouTube script take to say out loud?
Paste your script and see how long each paragraph takes at your speaking pace, on a timeline. The tool marks intro text that runs past 30 seconds and paragraphs longer than 45 seconds. It works in your browser, and your script is never sent anywhere.
Last updated
Separate paragraphs with a blank line. A script with no blank lines is split by line.
Start a paragraph with [intro] to mark your intro yourself, and the Intro paragraphs box is ignored.
Timeline
Speaking time estimated from the word count, not YouTube data. Pauses, b-roll and music are not counted. The 30-second and 45-second lines are rules of thumb. Check your intro against the retention graph in YouTube Studio.
How the timing is worked out
Seconds = words ÷ words per minute × 60
At 150 words per minute you say 2.5 words a second, so a 75-word paragraph takes 30 seconds and a 112-word paragraph takes about 45. The tool counts the words in each paragraph, times them back to back and shows where each one starts and ends. Change the words per minute to match how you really read, then use the table to plan a script for a target length. If a long paragraph shows up in the timeline, the retention graph explainer shows what a drop in that part of a video can mean.
| Video length | 130 words per minute | 150 words per minute | 170 words per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 130 | 150 | 170 |
| 2 minutes | 260 | 300 | 340 |
| 3 minutes | 390 | 450 | 510 |
| 5 minutes | 650 | 750 | 850 |
| 8 minutes | 1,040 | 1,200 | 1,360 |
| 10 minutes | 1,300 | 1,500 | 1,700 |
| 15 minutes | 1,950 | 2,250 | 2,550 |
Questions about this tool
How does the script timer work?
It counts the words in each paragraph and divides by your speaking pace. At 150 words per minute, a paragraph of 75 words takes 30 seconds. Paragraphs are separated by a blank line and timed back to back, so each one shows when it starts and when it ends.
How many words per minute should I use?
Use your own pace. 150 is the default here, a middle value for reading a script aloud. To find yours, read a page of your script aloud once with a timer, divide its word count by the minutes it took, and enter that number. A calm delivery and an energetic one can be far apart.
How many words is a 10-minute YouTube script?
About 1,500 words at 150 words per minute, or 1,300 to 1,700 words at 130 to 170. A 5-minute script is about 750 words at 150. The table on this page lists other lengths.
Why does the tool flag the first 30 seconds?
Many creators try to get to the point of the video within the first 30 seconds, so the tool marks intro text that falls after that mark. It is a rule of thumb, not a YouTube rule. The audience retention graph in YouTube Studio shows whether viewers actually leave during your intro, and that is the number to trust.
Why are paragraphs over 45 seconds flagged?
45 seconds is about 112 words at 150 words per minute. A long stretch of talking with no new idea or visual change is a common place to lose attention, so the tool marks it as a place to look. It is a prompt to check, not a limit, and some paragraphs should run long.
Is my script uploaded anywhere?
No. The timing runs in your browser. The script is not sent to Channel Wise or anyone else, and it is not saved, so it is gone when you close or reload the page. Copy it somewhere first if you want to keep your edits.
Does it count pauses, b-roll or music?
No. It times speech only, from the word count. Pauses, jokes that need room and sections with no talking are not counted, so the finished video can run longer. Time yourself reading the script aloud once and compare.
Does it work in languages other than English?
It counts words separated by spaces, so it works for languages written that way, such as Spanish, German or Turkish. Speaking pace differs by language, so set your own words per minute. It does not work for Chinese or Japanese, which are written without spaces between words.
How do I mark where my intro ends?
Start the intro paragraph with [intro] and the tool treats every tagged paragraph as intro. Without a tag, the first paragraph is the intro, and you can change how many paragraphs count in the Intro paragraphs box.
See where viewers leave your published videos
Channel Wise connects to your YouTube channel with read-only access and reads each video's retention, click-through rate and impressions. It points to the video that needs attention, suggests one change to try, and later shows whether the change helped. It is free during early access.