Script length calculator
A 60-second script is about 150 words read aloud at a narration pace: 130 words read slowly, 170 read fast, so about 2.5 words a second. Clip-Short's AI narrator is paced to 150 words a minute in most languages, 115 in Arabic, 125 in Persian, 130 in Hindi, 110 in Russian, and 100 in Bengali and Korean.
Formula: Seconds = words ÷ words a minute × 60. An estimate, not a measured read: pauses, numbers and long words make a real read longer.
Sources: Clip-Short's narration pacing: the words a minute its AI narrator is set to (checked 29 October 2026); YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies, Shorts up to three minutes (read 29 October 2026)
Read aloud, it runs
0:00
- Fits YouTube Shorts (up to 3 min)
- Fits recommended Instagram Reels (up to 3 min)
- Fits TikTok (up to 10 min in the app)
Words for a target length at this pace
- 15 s38
- 30 s75
- 60 s150
- 90 s225
- 180 s450
How it works
- 1
Paste or count
Paste the script, or type the number of words if you only know that.
- 2
Pick a pace
Narration runs about 150 words a minute; faster reads fit more in a short.
- 3
See where it fits
The time, and which platforms take a video that long.
Questions
How many words is a 60-second video?
About 150 words at a normal narration pace, 130 read slowly and 170 read fast.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to 3 minutes. Instagram Reels can run up to 20 minutes, but only reels of 3 minutes or less are recommended to new audiences, and TikTok takes up to 10 minutes recorded in the app.
Why does my narration run longer than the calculator says?
Pauses, numbers and long words slow a read down. Leave a few seconds spare, or use a slightly slower pace to be safe.
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