Short length calculator

Words per duration at three paces

How many spoken words fit in common Short lengths, at the typical value of each pace preset. Use it to plan a script before you write, or to check a draft without the calculator.

Figures are runtime multiplied by pace, rounded down. They assume narration from the first frame to the last, which a good edit rarely has. At 150 words per minute, keeping 10 to 20 percent of a 60-second Short free of narration leaves about 120 to 135 words, not 150.

How the calculator works

In script mode it counts the words the voice will say, adds the pauses you marked, and divides by a pace. In target mode it runs the same arithmetic backwards: runtime, minus the time you keep for beats, multiplied by the pace.

Pace is the assumption

Everything rests on speaking rate. The National Center for Voice and Speech puts the average rate for US English speakers at about 150 words per minute (NCVS). The conversational preset is centered on that figure (140 to 160 wpm). The measured (120 to 140) and brisk (160 to 180) presets are our assumptions, chosen to bracket an unhurried documentary read and a fast-facts read. They are not measured standards.

Each preset is a range, so the result is a range: the fastest read in the preset to the slowest. A custom pace is one number, so it gives one figure. Real narration does not hold a single pace. Readers slow down for a reveal and speed up through a list, and synthetic voices vary by model and settings. The most accurate pace is your own: time a read of a passage with a known word count, then enter the result as a custom value.

It counts what is spoken

• Numbers count as they are read aloud: 1,200 is four words (“one thousand two hundred”), $4.2M is five, and 50% is two. Four-digit numbers without a comma are read like years, so 1984 is three.
• Hyphenated compounds count by part, because each part is spoken: “well-known” is two words. Contractions count as one.
• Directions are skipped: anything in [square brackets], speaker labels such as NARRATOR: or VO: at the start of a line, and markup tags.
• Abbreviations are the known gap. The counter cannot tell whether a set of capitals is said as a word or letter by letter. Write out anything the voice will spell, then count again.

Pauses and beats

• A [pause], [beat], or [silence] marker adds 1 second unless you change the default. [pause 2s] or [pause 500ms] sets its own length. SSML-style <break time="1.5s"/> tags are read the same way.
• Each blank line between paragraphs adds 0.5 seconds by default. Set it to 0 if your edit runs paragraphs together.
• In target mode, 10 percent of the runtime is kept free of narration by default, for reveals, sound effects, and on-screen text the viewer needs time to read.

These defaults are working assumptions, not platform data. Set them to match your own edit.

How thresholds are read

Each platform threshold below is a “longer than” rule. When the estimated range sits entirely on one side of a line, the result says which side. When the range crosses it, the result is marked borderline, because a slower or faster read could land on either side. A result within 5 seconds of a line is flagged as close.

Platform limits the calculator checks

Current as of 5 October 2026. Platforms change these rules, and the rules tracker records each change with its sources.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube announced in October 2024 that from October 15, square and vertical videos of up to three minutes could be Shorts. Its help page on three-minute Shorts covers Content ID. Until September 24, 2026, YouTube blocked any Short longer than one minute that had an active Content ID claim. YouTube says new Shorts uploaded from that date are no longer blocked automatically and may stay playable, so the calculator does not flag one minute for YouTube.

A claim still means someone else owns the music or footage. For narrated faceless work built on licensed music and stock footage, confirm every track and clip is cleared for that channel before you publish a Short of any length, and keep the licenses where you can find them.

TikTok

TikTok’s launch post for the Creator Rewards Program says it pays for original videos over a minute long. Its support page says videos must be at least one minute long, and lists the follower, view, age, and country requirements an account must also meet. Because the two pages disagree, the calculator treats exactly 60 seconds as too short, so aim clearly past the line. The Creator Rewards tracker entry has the full requirements.

Instagram Reels

Instagram raised the Reels limit from 90 seconds to three minutes in January 2025 (Social Media Today). Its help center says reels longer than three minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences. For an account that grows through discovery, three minutes is the working ceiling.

How to use it in production

The calculator does arithmetic. The decisions around it are where quality comes from. A workable order:

1. Pick the length from the story, not the limit. As editorial starting points, a single fact fits in 15 to 35 seconds, a setup with a turn and a payoff in 35 to 60, and a mini-narrative with stakes in 60 to 90. The guide to Short length covers story shapes and each platform’s thresholds in full.
2. Get a word budget before you write. Use target mode, with the share kept for beats set to match your edit. Writing to a budget is easier than cutting a long draft later.
3. Count after the fact-check. Corrections change the length. Check the script against the Standard’s researched script criterion first, then count the final text.
4. Time a real read. Generate or record the narration and compare its length with the estimate. If they differ by more than a few seconds, measure your pace and switch to custom.
5. Cut lines, not speed. If a script runs long, remove a line. Raising a synthetic voice’s speaking rate to squeeze under a threshold produces a rushed read that sounds like filler. The AI voiceover guide covers pacing and direction.
6. Check the cut, not just the script. Final runtime comes from the edit. Review it against the Standard’s edit rhythm criterion before you export.

Length problems that read as slop

• Padding to clear 60 seconds. A 40-second idea stretched to 61 for TikTok rewards shows up as a slow intro, an end recap, or a list that grew from three items to five. If the story needs 40 seconds, publish 40.
• Narration in every second. A script that fills the whole runtime leaves no room for a reveal to land. If your count matches the table above exactly, expect the edit to feel breathless.
• A script that only fits when rushed. If it fits only at a pace faster than the brisk preset, it is too long for the slot. Cut it.

Length is one part of the job. If the video uses a synthetic voice or realistic generated visuals, check the AI disclosure rules for each platform and the Standard’s disclosure and compliance criterion before you publish.