How to use the teleprompter
- Paste your script. Put cues you should not read aloud in [square brackets]; leave a blank line where you want a breath.
- Set the speed in words per minute, the text size and width, and where the reading line sits. The line under the script shows the word count and how long the read will take.
- Open the prompter and press Start (or Space). After the countdown the text scrolls up past the reading line. Pause with Space, change speed with the up and down arrows, and jump back or forward 5 seconds with the left and right arrows.
- Using a glass rig? Turn on Mirror so the reflection reads the right way round, then go full screen.
Why the speed is in words per minute
Most browser teleprompters scroll a fixed number of pixels per second, so the reading pace changes every time you change the text size or the window: bigger text means fewer words per line, and the same pixel speed suddenly asks you to read slower. This one measures where every word sits on screen and moves its reading point forward by the chosen number of words per minute, crossing each line in proportion to the words on it. Short lines go by quickly, full lines take longer, and the pace you set is the pace you read at, at any size, width or screen. Blank lines and lines that hold only a [cue] get a pause the length of one word.
What we measured
On October 14, 2026 we loaded a 400-word script into the prompter in Chromium, started it with no countdown, and every 250 ms recorded which word sat on the reading line, using its real position on screen. The pace is the slope of words read against time over 12 seconds.
| Setup | Target (wpm) | Measured (wpm) | Lines in the layout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140 wpm, 32 px text | 140 | 139.5 | 49 |
| 140 wpm, 96 px text | 140 | 140.0 | 139 |
| 200 wpm, 56 px text | 200 | 200.0 | 83 |
| 140 wpm, 56 px, mirror + flip | 140 | 139.9 | 83 |
A full run of the same script at 140 words per minute took 30.5 seconds against the 30 seconds the tool estimates, and mirror and upside-down modes kept the same pace (139.9 wpm with both on). Pausing held the text still, the 5-second jumps moved it by 11.7 words at 140 wpm (the expected 11.7), and the page fitted a 390 px phone screen with no errors.
Tips for reading naturally
Read the script aloud once without the prompter and time yourself with the estimate: if your natural read is faster or slower, set that speed rather than forcing yourself to match the default 140. Keep the reading line in the upper third of the screen, close to the camera lens, so your eyes stay near it. Short lines (a width of 60–70%) mean less side-to-side eye movement, which is what gives a prompter read away on camera. For a recording, pair it with the Screen Recorder; to check a script’s length before a shoot, the Word Counter gives the same count.
Sources
Checked on .
- MDN: SpeechRecognition (server-based recognition in some browsers)
- MDN: Fullscreen API
Frequently Asked Questions
Built by Derek Giordano · Part of Ultimate Design Tools