The on-screen reading-time rule: how many seconds should text stay in a video?
MaestroCut Editorial Team 3 min readPublished:
Text in a video should stay on screen for at least max(1.2 s, 0.35 s × number of words + 0.5 s) after it stops moving. A four-word headline needs 1.9 seconds; a ten-word sentence needs 4 seconds. Keeping headlines to six words per line and body text to twelve words makes those times fit into a short video.
The formula
- Reading-time rule
- The minimum time on-screen text must stay after its motion ends: hold ≥ max(1.2 s, 0.35 s × words + 0.5 s).
The 0.35 seconds per word matches the time a scrolling viewer needs to recognise and make sense of a short word; the 0.5 seconds is the time the eye needs to find the text. The 1.2-second floor makes even one-word text noticeable. Text can't be read while it moves (spins, slides), so the clock starts when it stops.
Seconds and bars by word count
| Words | Minimum | Bars (120 BPM) | Bars (100 BPM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.2 s | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 2 | 1.2 s | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 3 | 1.55 s | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 4 | 1.9 s | 1 bar | 1 bar |
| 5 | 2.25 s | 2 bars | 1 bar |
| 6 | 2.6 s | 2 bars | 2 bars |
| 8 | 3.3 s | 2 bars | 2 bars |
| 10 | 4 s | 2 bars | 2 bars |
| 12 | 4.7 s | 3 bars | 2 bars |
| 14 | 5.4 s | 3 bars | 3 bars |
The bar columns show the time after the text stops moving; add about one beat for the entrance animation. One bar is 2 s at 120 BPM and 2.4 s at 100 BPM. Calculated by MaestroCut.
Line and list limits
- Headline: six words per line at most, 2–3 lines at most.
- Body text: twelve words at most.
- Lists: five items at most, 4–5 words per item.
- Never two competing texts on screen at the same time.
- Emphasis: one or two words per line at most (colour or italics).
These limits also force each scene to carry one idea. Text that doesn't fit into one scene is usually two scenes.
Automatic checking
MaestroCut counts the words in every scene, compares them with the scene's length and either extends the scene by a bar or asks you to shorten the text. The AI copywriter also gets a word limit for every field; lines that break it are fixed before export.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a sentence stay on screen?
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Multiply the number of words by 0.35 and add 0.5 seconds, with a minimum of 1.2 seconds. An eight-word sentence needs about 3.3 seconds.
Does the rule apply to subtitles too?
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Speech-driven subtitles flow in 1–3-word chunks in sync with the voice; this rule is for on-screen text that isn't tied to speech (headlines, list items, calls to action).
How many words should a headline have?
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Six words per line at most and 2–3 lines in total. For a hook, six or seven words at most.
Sources and notes
This page was last reviewed on . Numbers come from the MaestroCut platform and industry data set and are updated as platforms change their limits.