Play script timer for theatre scripts

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    

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. 
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Litterature

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