Character Line Counter
Count lines per character in your script
Paste your screenplay into this free script line counter by character and see how many lines each role has, how many words they speak, and how big the part really is. Built for actors preparing sides, casting directors sizing roles, and writers balancing an ensemble.
In casting, a line is one uninterrupted speech, not a row of text. The counter detects every character cue, merges (V.O.), (O.S.), and (CONT'D) variants into one character, and tallies dialogue blocks, spoken words, and scene appearances. Role-size tags follow casting conventions: Under-5 for 5 lines or fewer, Day Player up to 10, then Supporting or Lead by share of dialogue.
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Paste your script above to see the cast breakdown.
How it works
The counter scans for character cues: uppercase lines directly above dialogue, plus Fountain @Name cues. It strips (CONT'D) and merges (V.O.) and (O.S.) variants so SARAH, SARAH (V.O.), and SARAH (CONT'D) count as one character, the way a casting office would count them. Each cue plus its speech is one dialogue block, parenthetical directions are excluded from word counts, and scene appearances are tracked by sluglines. Role-size tags use the casting cutoffs: 5 lines or fewer is Under-5, up to 10 is Day Player, and above that a role is Lead when it carries at least 15 percent of all spoken words.
How many lines does my character have?
The honest answer depends on what counts as a line. Actors and casting directors count speeches: one cue plus everything spoken until the next character talks is one line, even if it fills half a page. This script line counter by character uses that convention, so the number you get matches what a casting notice or an audition side means by a 10-line role.
Role size drives money and contracts. SAG-AFTRA agreements historically priced under-5 roles (5 lines or fewer) differently from day players, who are booked and paid by the day. When a producer runs a cast breakdown by role size, one rewritten scene can move an actor across a rate category. Counting lines per character in the script before budgeting avoids that surprise on set.
For writers, the same table is a balance check on the ensemble. If your protagonist carries 55 percent of the dialogue and your antagonist 6, the script will read exactly that lopsided. The screenplay dialogue word count and share columns show who dominates each draft, and comparing them across revisions tells you whether a supporting role is growing into a lead or quietly disappearing.
Who this is for
- Actors: count your lines before an audition or table read, and see exactly which scenes your character speaks in.
- Casting directors and producers: size every role for the cast breakdown and spot which parts fall under day player or under-5 rates.
- Screenwriters: check dialogue balance across the ensemble and catch characters who vanish for 40 pages.
Character Line Counter: the complete guide
It detects every character cue in pasted screenplay text, merges V.O., O.S., and CONT'D variants, and tallies dialogue blocks, spoken words, scene appearances, and share of total dialogue per character.
For this workflow, the central problem is clear: role size drives casting rates and dialogue balance, but counting lines per character by hand is tedious and inconsistent. Left unresolved, this creates downstream friction and slower decisions. The practical target is a sortable per-character table of lines, words, scenes, and dialogue share, with casting-convention role-size tags.
Limitation to keep in mind: It counts what the cues say, so all-caps action lines followed by text can occasionally register as characters, and mixed-case names need the Fountain @ prefix to be detected.
Advanced workflow: Casting teams export the CSV per draft and diff line counts between revisions to catch roles crossing the under-5 or day-player thresholds before contracts are drafted.
Step-by-Step Workflow
- Paste the full draft and check the speaking character count matches your expectations before reading the details.
- Sort by lines to see role sizes, then by scenes to see who threads through the story versus who clusters in one act.
- Review the role-size tags against your casting plan and flag any part sitting one line above a rate threshold.
- Export the CSV and repeat on the next draft to track how each role grows or shrinks between revisions.
Use Cases By Profile
- Actor: know exactly how many lines and scenes a part has before accepting an audition slot.
- Casting director: build the cast breakdown by role size without reading with a highlighter.
- Writer: see dialogue share per character and rebalance an ensemble that leans on one voice.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Counting text rows instead of speeches, which inflates every role's line count.
- Treating SARAH and SARAH (V.O.) as two characters and splitting one role's numbers.
- Sizing roles from page presence alone while ignoring how many scenes a character actually speaks in.
Professional Best Practices
- One line above the under-5 cutoff changes an actor's rate category; check parts at 5 and 6 lines by hand.
- Compare word count against line count: a 10-line role of monologues is bigger than the tag suggests.
- Use scene appearances to schedule actors; a 4-line role spread over 12 scenes costs 12 shooting days of availability.
Treat this tool output as a decision support layer, not a replacement for authorship. Great scripts are remembered for specific choices, emotional precision, and clarity of dramatic movement. Tools help by removing noise so your energy can go where it matters: character, conflict, escalation, and payoff. If you review outcomes after each pass and keep an explicit log of accepted changes, your workflow becomes faster and more predictable from draft to draft. That consistency is exactly what professional collaborators value: fewer surprises, clearer rationale, and a script that evolves with intent.
Extended FAQ
How do casting directors count lines in a script?
By speeches, not rows of text. One cue plus everything the character says until another character speaks counts as one line. This is the convention behind terms like under-5 and 10-line role in casting notices.
What is the difference between a day player and an under-5?
An under-5 has 5 lines or fewer, a category from AFTRA television agreements with its own rate. A day player has a larger part, typically booked and paid by the day under SAG-AFTRA daily rates.
Why merge (CONT'D) cues into one character?
A (CONT'D) cue marks the same character resuming after an interruption or action beat. Counting it separately would split one role's totals and overstate the cast size, so the counter strips it before tallying.
Does dialogue share predict who the lead is?
It is a strong signal but not a rule. Leads usually carry the largest word share, yet a quiet protagonist can lead a film with less dialogue than a talkative supporting role. The tool tags leads at 15 percent of spoken words or more.
Can actors use this to prepare sides?
Yes. Sort by character, note the scene appearances, and you know which scenes to pull for practice. The word count also gives a realistic sense of memorization load before a table read or self-tape.
Does the counter work with Fountain screenplays?
Yes. Standard uppercase cues are detected as-is, and Fountain's @ prefix handles mixed-case names like @McCLANE. Dual-dialogue carets and extensions are stripped automatically.
Frequently asked questions
In casting terms, one uninterrupted speech is one line: the character cue plus everything they say until someone else speaks or the scene changes. A three-sentence monologue is still one line. This tool counts dialogue blocks that way, and shows word counts separately for a finer measure.
A speaking part with 5 lines or fewer. The category comes from AFTRA television agreements, where under-five performers had their own rate between background and day player. It is still the common shorthand for the smallest speaking roles.
Yes. Extensions like (V.O.), (O.S.), (O.C.), and (CONT'D) are stripped before counting, so all variants of a name tally as one character. That matches how a role is cast and paid: one actor, one part, regardless of how the dialogue is delivered.
Paste the script and sort by the Lines or Words column. The counter ranks every speaking character by dialogue blocks, spoken words, and share of total dialogue, so the biggest part is the top row by default.
Copy the text out of the PDF and paste it here. As long as character cues stay uppercase on their own line above the dialogue, the counter will detect them. If a cue was merged into a paragraph during copying, put it back on its own line.
See your whole cast, not just the counts
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