How many words is a 5-minute speech? Word counts from 1 to 20 minutes
The short answer
A 5-minute speech is about 650 to 750 words at a normal speaking pace of 130 to 150 words per minute. Allow fewer words if you pause for laughter, questions or slides, and more only if you naturally speak fast. To check, read your draft aloud against a timer at the pace you will use on the day, and cut until it lands inside the time with a little to spare.
Most speeches are given a time, not a word count: five minutes for a club speech, seven for a best man, twenty for a conference slot. But you write in words. The link between the two is your speaking pace.
Word counts by length
Most people speak at 120 to 160 words per minute when giving a speech. Here are the counts at slow, normal and quick paces.
| Speech length | 120 wpm | 140 wpm | 160 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 120 | 140 | 160 |
| 2 minutes | 240 | 280 | 320 |
| 3 minutes | 360 | 420 | 480 |
| 5 minutes | 600 | 700 | 800 |
| 7 minutes | 840 | 980 | 1,120 |
| 10 minutes | 1,200 | 1,400 | 1,600 |
| 15 minutes | 1,800 | 2,100 | 2,400 |
| 20 minutes | 2,400 | 2,800 | 3,200 |
The formula is minutes × words per minute. For a first draft, use 130 to 140 and adjust once you have timed yourself. The speech time calculator does it both ways: paste a draft to see how long it runs, or type a length to get the word count, with room for pauses and slides.
Leave room for the room
A word count assumes you speak without stopping. A real speech does not. Laughter, applause, a slide change, a pause for effect, a sip of water, a question: each costs seconds that no word count shows. For a speech with jokes or audience interaction, cut 10 to 15% from the table above.
Nerves work the other way. Most speakers go faster on the day than in rehearsal. A speech that fits exactly in practice often finishes early, and one that barely fits often runs over when the laughs come. Aim to finish your rehearsal about 30 seconds inside the limit.
Find your own pace
Take a page of text you know the length of, read it aloud as you would to an audience, and time it. Divide the words by the minutes. That is your pace. Words per minute for speeches explains the typical figures and how to use yours.
Do it standing up, at speaking volume. Reading quietly at a desk is always faster than speaking to a room.
Time a practice run
The speech timer works the way a Toastmasters timekeeper does. It counts up and shows three lights:
- Green at your minimum time.
- Amber one minute before the maximum.
- Red at the maximum.
Pick a preset, or set your own points for any length. For a five-minute limit, set green at 4:00, amber at 4:00 or 4:30, and red at 5:00. Run through your speech and note where you are when each light comes on. If amber arrives and you have more than a minute of material left, cut.
The clock does not stop at red. It keeps counting, so you know exactly how far over you ran. For talks with slides, the presentation timer has presets for common slot lengths.
Where to cut
If a draft runs long, cut whole parts rather than words:
- The second example. One good example usually does the job of two.
- The preamble. “Before I begin, I’d like to say…” can go.
- The recap. In a short speech, the audience remembers what you said three minutes ago.
- Lists of three that are really lists of five. Keep the three best.
Trimming individual words makes a speech feel rushed. Removing a whole section keeps the pace calm.
Common speech lengths
| Occasion | Usual length | Approximate words |
|---|---|---|
| Toastmasters Ice Breaker | 4–6 minutes | 550–800 |
| Most prepared club speeches | 5–7 minutes | 650–950 |
| Table Topics answer | 1–2 minutes | 130–280 |
| Wedding speech | 3–5 minutes | 400–700 |
| Elevator pitch | 30–60 seconds | 70–140 |
The club timings are covered in more detail in Toastmasters timing rules. If you are recording rather than speaking live, how many words for a 60-second video applies the same arithmetic to short videos.
- Public speaking
- Presenting
