Script length calculator
A voiceover script runs about 2.5 to 3 words per second in English at advertising pace. The same message in German typically takes 15 to 20 percent longer to say, which is why a translated script that fitted 15 seconds no longer does. Enter your word count to see the read time in each language.
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The formula
Read seconds = words / words per second
Advertising pace is around 2.7 words per second in English. Slower than that reads as explanatory, faster than about 3.1 stops being intelligible over music on a phone speaker.
| Language | Length vs English | Words in 15s at ad pace |
|---|---|---|
| English | 1.00x | 40 |
| German | 1.18x | 34 |
| Hindi | 1.12x | 36 |
| French | 1.10x | 36 |
| Italian | 1.09x | 37 |
| Spanish | 1.08x | 37 |
How to read the result
- Write to the longest language in the campaign, not to English. A script sized for English will clip the call to action in German.
- The last row is the safe word count: it fits every language you run, so one script can be localised without a rewrite per market.
- Speeding up an overrunning read is audible and reads as cheap. Rewrite shorter instead, which is what Genyad does when a measured read misses its slot.
- Captions have a separate budget. Two to four words on screen at a time is what gets read at phone size, regardless of how fast the voice goes.
What people get wrong
- Translating a timed English script and assuming the timing survives. It does not, and German is the usual casualty.
- Filling the whole slot with words. A 15 second ad with 40 words of voiceover has no room for a pause, and pauses are what make a claim land.
- Measuring at reading pace rather than speaking pace. People read faster than they talk.
- Leaving the call to action last in a script that overruns, so the one line that asks for the click is the line that gets cut.
Frequently asked questions
How many words fit in a 15 second ad?
About 40 in English at advertising pace, and about 34 in German for the same slot. Leave room for pauses: 30 to 35 words is more comfortable than the maximum.
How many words per second is a voiceover?
Roughly 2.2 for a calm explanatory read, 2.7 for advertising pace and 3.1 for high energy. Above about 3.1 intelligibility drops on a phone speaker with music under the voice.
Why does my German ad run over?
German typically takes 15 to 20 percent longer to say the same thing. A script timed to 15 seconds in English lands near 17 or 18 in German, which usually clips the call to action.
Should I speed up the audio to make it fit?
No. It is audible and it reads as cheap. Rewrite the script shorter; Genyad measures the synthesised read and rewrites rather than time-stretching.