Free play script timer

Use our free play script timer calculator to estimate the play time for your script!

Are you working on a play script and wondering how long it will take to perform? Utilize our free play script timer to get an estimate of how many minutes your script will require for performance. Simply paste your text or input your word count. Find information about estimated words per minute below the play script timer calculator.




Words per minute

In a 2021 study, Wang Liexamined English speech rates to determine if the British spoke faster in 2020 compared to 1990. She discovered that the average speech rate for the British was 198 words per minute, with variations depending on the context. 

Her research analyzed extensive amounts of broadcasted speech, including news, interviews, and conversations. Additionally, she studied speech rates in lectures at British universities available on YouTube. The table below displays the average rates for various types of speech categories.

Categories

Words per minute

News monologues

198

Interviews

197

Conversations

222

Academic Lectures

173

It’s worth noting that these numbers may not be entirely applicable for those interested in gauging the duration of a play script enactment, as they do not account for pauses between dialogues or monologues, nor the parts of the play with no lines.

Play script word-to-play length ratio

A potentially more effective method for estimating the length of a theatrical performance is to calculate the word-to-minute ratio by dividing the word count of the play script by the performance length of well-known plays. In the table below, we’ve gathered word counts from several Shakespeare plays and divided them by their respective performance lengths. We’ve computed an average word-to-minute ratio, which is approximately 177 words per minute.

Play

Word count

Length 

(minutes)

Words per minute

Hamlet

30557

240

127.32

Richard III

29278

160

182.99

Coriolanus

27589

120

229.91

Cymbeline

27565

180

153.14

Othello

26450

150

176.33

King Lear

26145

120

217.88

Henry V

26119

150

174.13

Troilus and Cressida

26089

130

200.68

The Winter’s Tale

24914

130

191.65

Antony and Cleopatra

24905

135

184.48

Henry VIII

24629

145

169.86

Romeo and Juliet

24545

150

163.63

All’s Well That Ends Well

23009

130

177.00

Richard II

22423

140

160.16

The Merchant of Venice

21291

150

141.94

Average words per minute

176.74

  

The word count data is sourced from Statista, and performance lengths are collected from various theatre groups’ estimates.

Summary

We trust that this article and our free play script timer proves useful when estimating the performance time for your theatre play script. Keep in mind that speech rates can vary from person to person, and the calculator should be used as a rough guide for estimating the time it takes to perform a script.

Also, note that the categories monologue, lecture and conversation are all speech rates based on Wang’s research. They do not account for pauses between dialogue and monologue at all. 

The “average for plays” will give a more accurate estimate for the actual length of your play, so feel free to paste your whole script (not just the dialogue and monologue) and let our free play script timer give you an estimate.  

We at Star Musicals Press enjoy writing musicals for kids. Please feel free to download our free perusal scripts and listen to our tunes on Spotify, youtube or whatever streaming service you use. 

Free play script timer

Literature

Wang, Li (2021). British English-Speaking Speed 2020. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 4(5). https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2021.040517