How many words fit in a 60-second YouTube Short?
At the Kineo planning rate of 2.3 spoken words per second, 60 seconds is about 138 words. The tool treats 132 words as the safe minimum because brief natural pauses still belong in the finished video.
Free script timer · no signup
Will your script actually fill the Short?
Paste the complete draft. This timer counts the narration viewers will hear — not HOOK labels, visual prompts or editing notes — and shows the exact word gap before you generate.
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Timing stays in your browser · your script is not sent while you calculate · no account or AI call
Target length
What slot should this fill?
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Your spoken duration, word budget and exact next step will appear here.
Planning estimate: 2.3 spoken words per second. Voice, punctuation and delivery can change the measured audio length.
Why this timer is different
It reads a production script like a voiceover engine.
Most word counters divide every word on the page by a generic speaking speed. This one first removes structural labels, bracketed shot directions and production metadata with the same narration parser Kineo uses for verbatim scripts. The estimate is still a plan, not an audio measurement — but it is based on the words that are meant to be spoken.
Script timing, answered plainly
Does the timer count HOOK, PAYOFF or visual directions?
No. It uses Kineo’s narration parser to remove structural headings, metadata and bracketed directions such as [Pexels: ocean]. The result is based on what the voice should actually say, not every word in the document.
Is this an exact audio measurement?
No. It is a planning estimate. The selected voice, punctuation, emphasis and delivery can change the final measured audio length.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
YouTube currently classifies square or vertical uploads of up to three minutes as Shorts. This calculator focuses on Kineo’s 35- and 60-second production slots.
Platform duration source: YouTube Help — three-minute Shorts, checked August 28, 2026.