# Hook length checker for TikTok, Reels and Shorts

> Paste a few spoken hook drafts and see how long each takes to say and how much a viewer hears in the first 3 or 6 seconds. Works for English and Korean.

URL: https://cutfac.com/tools/hook-checker  
Last updated: 2026-10-23  
Language: [한국어](https://cutfac.com/ko/tools/hook-checker)

Write a few versions of your opening line, one per line, and see how long each takes to say and where the first 3 or 6 seconds end.

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

## How to use it

1. **Write your drafts.** Put each version of the opening line on its own line. Text in brackets, like [zoom in], isn't counted.
2. **Pick a window.** TikTok suggests introducing the core message of an ad in the first 3 seconds and putting the hook in the first 6.
3. **Pick a pace.** Use the pace you'll record at. Relaxed, conversational and fast are the same as in the script timer.
4. **Compare the drafts.** Each draft shows how long it takes and fades the words still being said after the window. Cut those words or move them to the next line.

## Why the first seconds matter

Viewers can swipe away at any moment, so the opening line has to say what the video is about before they do.

TikTok's creative guidance for ads suggests introducing your core message in the first 3 seconds and putting the hook in the first 6. It doesn't publish a rule for regular posts, and Instagram and YouTube don't publish one for Reels or Shorts, so treat these as targets, not requirements.

## How the time is estimated

Drafts are timed the same way as in the script timer: English by words and Korean by syllables, at 150 words or 350 syllables a minute at a conversational pace. A word counts as heard once it's finished before the window ends.

Speaking rates vary from person to person. Read your favorite draft aloud once with a timer and pick the pace that matches.

## Making a hook shorter

Most long hooks get shorter with the same few cuts.

- Open with the result or the problem, not a greeting or your name.
- Drop warm-up phrases like “So”, “Hey guys” and “In this video”.
- Say one idea, and save the details for the next line.
- Show what you can instead of saying it, with on-screen text or the first shot.

## Sources

- [TikTok: Creative best practices for performance ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/creative-best-practices)

## Questions

### How long should a hook be?

Short enough to finish in the first few seconds. TikTok's ads guidance suggests the core message within 3 seconds and the hook within 6. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube don't publish a rule for regular posts.

### How many words can I say in 3 seconds?

At a conversational 150 words a minute, about 7 words, and about 15 in 6 seconds. In Korean, at 350 syllables a minute, about 17 syllables in 3 seconds.

### How is this different from the script timer?

The script timer times a whole script line by line against a target length. The hook checker compares several versions of the opening line against the first 3 or 6 seconds.

### Is my text saved or uploaded?

No. It stays in your browser tab and is gone when you close it.