How Many Words Is a 5-Minute Video? (Plus 30 Seconds to 30 Minutes)
A five-minute video needs about 700 words at a conversational 140 words per minute. Speak deliberately and it is closer to 600; keep a brisk presenter's pace and it is nearer 800. Those three paces cover almost everyone, so the table below gives the word count for every common video length at each of them. After the table: how to know which column is yours, and why the finished video always runs a little longer than the maths says.
Word counts by video length
| Video length | Slow · 120 wpm | Conversational · 140 wpm | Presenter · 160 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 60 words | 70 words | 80 words |
| 1 minute | 120 | 140 | 160 |
| 90 seconds | 180 | 210 | 240 |
| 2 minutes | 240 | 280 | 320 |
| 3 minutes | 360 | 420 | 480 |
| 5 minutes | 600 | 700 | 800 |
| 8 minutes | 960 | 1,120 | 1,280 |
| 10 minutes | 1,200 | 1,400 | 1,600 |
| 15 minutes | 1,800 | 2,100 | 2,400 |
| 20 minutes | 2,400 | 2,800 | 3,200 |
| 30 minutes | 3,600 | 4,200 | 4,800 |
For a length not in the table, multiply minutes by your pace. For a word count you already have, the script timing calculator converts it to minutes at any pace; for a time slot you have to fill, the speech length calculator works the other way.
Which column is yours?
Most people guess their pace wrong by twenty percent or more, and the guess is usually too slow. Take the WPM reading test: read a short passage aloud against a timer and you get your number in about a minute. As a rule, everyday conversation runs 120 to 150, YouTube explainers and presentations 130 to 160, and formal speeches with pauses 100 to 130. Non-native speakers and anyone reading technical material tend to sit at the lower end.
Why the finished video runs longer than the maths
- Pauses for emphasis. Good delivery includes silence, and silence is not in the word count. Budget five to ten percent.
- Demonstrations and B-roll. Anything you show rather than say adds time with no words.
- Nerves. Beginners speed up on camera, which shortens the video, then add restarts and ums, which lengthen it. A voice-following teleprompter settles the pace because there is no scroll to chase.
- Intro and outro cards. Five to fifteen seconds that are easy to forget.
In practice, write to about ninety percent of the table's number and the finished video lands on the length you wanted.
Scripts by format, at a glance
| Format | Typical length | Words at 140 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| Short, Reel, TikTok | 30–60 seconds | 70–140 |
| Ad read or sponsor segment | 60–90 seconds | 140–210 |
| Product explainer | 2–3 minutes | 280–420 |
| YouTube tutorial | 5–8 minutes | 700–1,120 |
| Course lesson | 8–12 minutes | 1,120–1,680 |
| Webinar or keynote | 20–30 minutes | 2,800–4,200 |
Hitting the number on the day
Two things make the planned length the actual length. Write the script for the ear, in short lines, so you do not stumble and restart (how to write a teleprompter script). And read it from a prompter that follows your voice, so the pace you rehearsed is the pace you deliver: Sayscroll scrolls as you speak, waits when you pause, and records the take in the same tab. The free demo handles a short script with no account.
Timing a speech rather than a video? See how long a 1,000-word speech takes, which uses slower live-speaking paces.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a 5-minute video?
About 700 words at a conversational 140 words per minute. A slower, deliberate delivery needs around 600; a brisk presenter's pace carries about 800. Write to roughly 90 percent of that to leave room for pauses.
How many words is a 10-minute video?
About 1,400 words at 140 words per minute, or 1,200 to 1,600 across typical paces. If the video includes demonstrations or screen recordings, write less; those minutes carry no words.
How many words is a 1-minute video?
About 140 words at a conversational pace, 120 if you speak slowly and 160 if you are brisk. A 60-second Short with a hook and a call to action usually lands at 120 to 150 words.
How do I find my own words-per-minute pace?
Read a short passage aloud against a timer and divide the word count by the minutes. The free WPM reading test does this in about a minute and tells you which band you are in.
Keep reading
How Long Is a 1,000-Word Speech? (250 to 5,000 Words Timed)
About seven to eight minutes at a live-speaking pace — and here is every length from 250 to 5,000 words at three speeds, with the allowance for pauses and applause.
How to Write a Teleprompter Script That Reads Well Aloud
A script written for the page fights you on camera. Here's how to write one for the ear — structure, line breaks, numbers, names — with a worked example.
Teleprompter Scroll Speed: How Fast Should a Teleprompter Scroll?
Scroll speed is words per minute in disguise. Here's how to convert your pace into a setting, why the number on the slider means nothing, and the way to skip the problem.
Related pages
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Look into the lens, say the whole script in one pass, and record it in the same tab — the prompter follows you, not the other way round.
Free Teleprompter
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Voice-Controlled Teleprompter
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Speak naturally — Let the script follow you
The AI teleprompter that scrolls as you speak — in 60+ languages.