Creator tool / 10
Subtitle Reading Speed Checker
Find the cues in an SRT or VTT file that read too fast, sit on screen too long, or overflow a line.
Subtitle Reading Speed Checker: TOEA measures each cue's characters per second, longest line, and time on screen, then lists every cue that breaks the limits alongside the timing you need to find it in an editor. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- YouTube tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
SRT or VTT · up to 5 MB, or paste below
Setting limits for your file
The defaults are 20 characters per second, 42 characters per line, and between 1 and 7 seconds on screen. The 42-character line and two lines per cue are widely used in streaming guidelines for Latin-script languages. Lower the speed to about 17 for children's content or viewers reading a second language, and set shorter lines for vertical video, where the frame is narrow.
The median pace at the top describes the whole file: above about 17 means most of the track is fast, not just a few cues.
Fixing a fast cue
Start with timing: extend the cue into any silence before the next one, or start it a few frames earlier. When there is no room, condense the text: drop filler words, repeated phrases, and false starts, keeping the meaning.
A cue flagged as on screen too long is usually a line left hanging across a pause; end it when the speaker stops. After editing, run the file through the subtitle cleaner to catch overlaps you may have introduced, then check it again here.
How to use it
- Choose a subtitle file or paste its text.
- Adjust the limits if your style guide differs.
- Read the flagged cues and download the report.
Privacy & limitations
The file is read and rewritten in your browser and never uploaded. The report is a plain-text list, one cue per line, with the file's median pace at the top.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
What reading speed should I aim for?
Around 17 to 20 characters per second is the range most broadcast and streaming style guides settle on for adult audiences, with lower figures for children's content. The default here is 20.
How are characters counted?
With spaces and punctuation, without markup tags, and with a line break counted as a single space. That is how the common per-second guidelines are expressed.
A cue is flagged as too fast but reads fine to me.
The pace is the text length divided by the time on screen, so a fast cue can be fixed by extending its end time rather than cutting words, as long as it does not then overlap the next cue.
Does it change my file?
No. This tool only reports. Use the timing shifter or cleaner to make changes, then check again.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required