Estimate how long a podcast episode will run based on your script's word count and speaking pace.
The Podcast Episode Length Calculator estimates how long a script will run when read aloud, including natural pauses and extras such as intro music and ads. Know before you record whether a 2,400-word script is a 17-minute or a 24-minute episode.
Presets for conversational, audiobook, calm and news-read paces make the estimate realistic, and a pause allowance adds the time real speech takes beyond raw words per minute.
Speaking time = words ÷ words-per-minute. Real reads include pauses between sentences and paragraphs, so the tool multiplies by (1 + pause%), then adds music and ads. Typical paces are 130–170 wpm; audiobook narration averages about 155 wpm.
Fit a script to a time slot.
Estimate narration time.
Check script length.
Time a speech.
| Typical pace | 130–170 words/min |
|---|---|
| Inputs | Words, wpm, pause %, extras |
About 4,000 words of script at 150 wpm with 8% pauses.
Around 150 wpm.
Conversational podcast hosts often average around 140–160 words per minute, though pace varies a lot by person and by how much cross-talk or pausing happens.
This tool runs entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API. Nothing is uploaded, stored or shared — there is no server to send your file to, so it works offline once the page has loaded.
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