A transcript length estimator multiplies minutes by words per minute to predict the words and pages of a transcript. The form starts with 60 minutes at 150 words per minute, which gives 9000 words, or about 18.0 pages when a page is taken as 500 words.
Transcribe a recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- Pages are words divided by 500 and shown with one decimal place, so the page count is a rough size and not a layout result.
- The table lists eight combinations of 10, 30, 60 and 120 minutes with rates of 130 and 150, such as 3900 words for 30 minutes at 130.
- The page states that this is a calculation and not a measurement of any recording, so a real transcript can land above or below it.
- A slower rate gives a shorter text: 120 minutes at 130 words per minute is 15600 words, against 18000 at 150.
Calculator
| Minutes | Words per minute | Words | Pages (500 words) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 130 | 1300 | 2.6 |
| 10 | 150 | 1500 | 3.0 |
| 30 | 130 | 3900 | 7.8 |
| 30 | 150 | 4500 | 9.0 |
| 60 | 130 | 7800 | 15.6 |
| 60 | 150 | 9000 | 18.0 |
| 120 | 130 | 15600 | 31.2 |
| 120 | 150 | 18000 | 36.0 |
A page is taken as 500 words. This is a calculation, not a measurement of any recording.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Where it works | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| File size | Up to 2 GB |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Speakers and time | Speaker labels and timestamps can be switched on |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results; a few more with warnings |
| Translation | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Dictation | A separate Potok desktop app lets you dictate text into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
How many words are in a one-hour recording?
At 150 words per minute it is 9000 words, and at 130 words per minute it is 7800. The actual number depends on how fast and how steadily people speak.
How is the page count worked out?
The estimator divides the words by 500. So 9000 words is 18.0 pages. Change the divisor in your head if your pages hold more or fewer words.
Where do I find my speaking rate?
Use the speaking rate calculator with a word count and a duration from an earlier recording. The result goes into the Words per minute field.
Does a pause or silence change the result?
Only if it changes your average. Long silences lower the words per minute of the whole recording, so use a rate measured over the full length.
Will a transcript be exactly this long?
Not exactly. The result is an estimate from two numbers. Fillers, numbers and several speakers move the real count either way.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Transcription (linguistics) (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Speech recognition (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
Try it on your own recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram