How many words per minute for a voice over or audiobook?

Audiobooks are narrated at about 140 to 180 words per minute. That range comes from Marc Brysbaert's 2019 review of reading research, where he writes that audiobooks are spoken at that rate ¹. For a voice-over, plan the script at about 150 words per minute, the working speech rate that Brysbaert uses in the same review ². Then test the number by reading the script aloud, because a planned rate and a recorded rate often differ.

Audiobook narration is slower than conversation

The narration range sits below the overall rate of recorded telephone conversation, which is 196 words per minute once every pause is counted ³. A narrator reads a prepared text, so the rate is a choice made for the recording rather than a conversational habit.

The range is a quoted estimate, not a survey of narrators. Brysbaert gives it as a comparison while arguing that reading can run faster than listening, and the rate varies with the book, the genre and the narrator's style. Treat 140 to 180 as the typical band, not an exact target for every title.

Plan a voice-over at 150 words per minute and count the script

Multiply the target length of the narration by the rate to get the word count. A three-minute video narration at 150 words per minute needs a script of about 450 words ⁴.

We did not find a peer-reviewed study that sets a rate for video narration in particular. The 150 figure is a planning assumption drawn from the speech-rate research, so you should confirm it on your own voice and your own text:

1. Count the words in the script with your word processor.
2. Divide the count by your target rate to get the planned running time, for example 450 words at 150 per minute is three minutes.
3. Read the script aloud at the pace you will record, with a timer running.
4. Divide the words by the time you actually took. If the result is well away from your target, adjust the script or the pace before you record.
5. Leave room for pauses. Breaths, section breaks and music cues make a narration run longer than the spoken words alone, so a script planned exactly to the minute will usually overrun.

Narration can be faster than audiobooks, but not much

In a 2016 study, listeners rated radio news read at 170 and 190 words per minute as normal and easy to understand ⁵. That suggests a brisk explainer can sit near the top of the audiobook band without sounding rushed, while a warm, character-led read may sit lower.

Speed has a limit for the listener, too. A laboratory study found that listening comprehension was not hindered at 270 words per minute but declined steeply at 315 ⁶. Listeners can speed up playback, but that is a separate choice. It does not give a narrator permission to read faster than the material can be followed.

What to do before you record

• Start from 150 words per minute for a general voice-over, and plan slightly slower for an emotional or dense read.
• Measure the actual rate on your own reading, not on the figure in a guide, and adjust the script to match.
• Keep the same measured rate across a whole recording, so the listener is not adjusting to a changing pace.

The question on how many words per minute to speak in a presentation covers the same measure for live talks, and the speaking speed guide explains how the speaking rate is measured. For the other end of the scale, see the question on the fastest speaking speed on record. The glossary entry on words per minute explains how the figure is counted.