Script Reading Time & Voiceover Length Calculator
By Jaden Vo · Free tool, runs in your browser
Paste your script to see the word and character count, how long the narration will run at different speaking paces, and roughly how many characters a text-to-speech tool will bill.
- Words
- 26
- Characters (incl. spaces)
- 166
- Characters (no spaces)
- 141
- Narration at 150 WPM
- 0:10 min
- Estimated TTS characters billed
- 166
- All paces
- 130: 0:12 · 150: 0:10 · 170: 0:09
Most TTS tools bill per character including spaces. ElevenLabs uses about 1 credit per character on standard models. Estimate your ElevenLabs plan →
How the estimate works
Narration length is words divided by words per minute (WPM). We offer three paces: 130 WPM for calm explainers and course lessons, 150 WPM for typical YouTube narration and 170 WPM for energetic ads and Shorts. Real recordings add pauses, so leave a few seconds of margin.
Text-to-speech services bill by characters, normally including spaces and punctuation, so the billed estimate equals the full character count. Regenerating a line costs characters again.
Next steps
- Turn the character count into a plan with the ElevenLabs cost calculator.
- Compare providers in the AI voice pricing comparison.
- Pick a voice tool: best AI voice generators for YouTube.
FAQ
How many words is a one-minute voiceover?
About 130–170 words. 150 words per minute is a common average for YouTube narration; tutorials and explainers are often slower, ads and Shorts faster.
How many words is a 10-minute YouTube video?
Roughly 1,300 words at a calm pace, 1,500 at an average pace and 1,700 at a fast pace.
How many characters does a minute of TTS use?
Usually 800–1,000 characters including spaces. ElevenLabs estimates about 1,000 credits per minute of speech on standard models.
Is my script uploaded anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to a server.