How long is a 1,000-word speech? Times from 500 to 2,000 words
The short answer
A 1,000-word speech takes about 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150 words a minute and 7 minutes 42 seconds at 130, the usual range for a prepared speech. A slow speaker at 110 words a minute takes about 9 minutes; a fast one at 170, under 6. Add 10% for pauses and laughter and the 130-words-a-minute figure becomes about 8 and a half minutes. Divide your word count by your own pace for a closer figure.
A word count tells you how long a speech is on paper. How long it is out loud depends on how fast you speak. For most people giving a prepared speech, that is between 130 and 150 words a minute, which puts 1,000 words at roughly seven minutes.
Times for common word counts
At the two ends of the usual range for a prepared speech, rounded to the second:
| Words | At 130 wpm | At 150 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 3 min 51 s | 3 min 20 s |
| 750 | 5 min 46 s | 5 min |
| 1,000 | 7 min 42 s | 6 min 40 s |
| 1,500 | 11 min 32 s | 10 min |
| 2,000 | 15 min 23 s | 13 min 20 s |
Outside that range the spread is wide. At a slow, deliberate 110 words a minute, 1,000 words takes 9 minutes 5 seconds. At a fast 170, close to the pace of popular TED talks, it takes 5 minutes 53 seconds. The same script can fill a five-minute slot or overrun a nine-minute one, depending on who reads it.
These are the speech time calculator’s own numbers: words divided by pace, rounded once to the nearest second.
Add the time a word count does not show
Nobody speaks 1,000 words without stopping. The minutes above are pure speaking time, and a real speech has more in it.
- Pauses and reactions. A pause after a key line, a laugh, applause at the end of a story. For a speech with jokes or a responsive audience, allow 10 to 20% on top.
- Slides. Each change costs a click, a glance at the screen and a breath, often two to five seconds.
- The opening and the close. Walking up, thanking the host, waiting for quiet. Usually not part of your slot, but sometimes it is.
In numbers: 1,000 words at 130 words a minute is 7 minutes 42 seconds. Add 10% for pauses and it becomes 8 minutes 28 seconds. Add ten slides at three seconds each and it is 8 minutes 58 seconds. A speech that looked like seven and a half minutes is now nearly nine.
The calculator has both allowances. Pick +10% or +20% for pauses, type the number of slides and the seconds each takes, and the total updates.
Going the other way: how many words for your slot
If you know the time and need the length, multiply instead. A 7-minute slot at 130 words a minute is 910 words; at 150 it is 1,050. Switch the calculator to How many words?, type the time, and it gives the most words that fit at your pace and allowance. It rounds down, so a speech written to that number does not run over.
For a 1,000-word draft and a 5 to 7 minute Toastmasters slot, the arithmetic says it fits only if you speak at 143 words a minute or faster and leave no pauses at all. In practice, cut to about 780 to 845 words: 6 to 6½ minutes at 130 words a minute, which leaves room for pauses inside the 7-minute maximum.
Your pace beats any table
The tables assume a pace. Yours may be different, and it is easy to measure: read a 200-word paragraph aloud, standing, and time it. 200 words in 1 minute 20 seconds is 150 words a minute. Type that into the calculator’s own-pace box and every figure follows.
Then rehearse the whole speech against the speech timer, which counts up and shows green, amber and red at the points you set. The word count gets you close; the run-through tells you where you really land.
Related guides
- Words per minute for speeches explains the paces and how to find yours.
- How many words is a 5-minute speech? has counts for 1 to 20 minutes.
- How many words for a 60-second video script applies the same arithmetic to short videos.
- Public speaking
- Presenting
