Speech time calculator
Speaking time
5 min
5:00 on the clock
- Words
- 650
- Pace
- 130 words a minute
- Speaking
- 5 min
- Pauses
- 0 s
- Slide changes
- 0 s
- Total
- 5 min
650 words take about 5 minutes at 130 words a minute.
Hindi words are counted between spaces. The paces above are figures for English speech, so type your own pace from a timed read-through.
Rehearse it in the teleprompter, or time a run-through with the speech timer.
Words for common lengths
At 130 words a minute, with no allowance. Change the pace or the allowance above and the counts follow.
| Length | Usual for | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 60-second video60 s | A Reel, Short or ad read | up to 130 |
| 1 minute60 s | Self-introduction, elevator pitch | up to 130 |
| 2 minutes2 min | A short toast or announcement | up to 260 |
| 3 minutes3 min | School speech, vote of thanks | up to 390 |
| 5 minutes5 min | Class presentation, assembly talk | up to 650 |
| 7 minutes7 min | The top of a club speech's 5–7 min | up to 910 |
| 10 minutes10 min | Seminar or project presentation | up to 1,300 |
| Toastmasters speech5–7 min | Most prepared speeches, 5–7 min | 650–910 |
| Toastmasters Ice Breaker4–6 min | 4–6 min | 520–780 |
| Table Topics1–2 min | 1–2 min | 130–260 |
| Wedding speech3–5 min | Usually 3–5 min | 390–650 |
Speech time calculator — words to minutes, and minutes to words
Paste your speech or type a word count, pick a pace, and see how long it takes to say. Or start from the time you have and get the number of words to write.
The short answer
A 3-minute speech is about 390 to 450 words at a typical speaking pace of 130 to 150 words a minute, and a 5-minute speech is 650 to 750. Going the other way, divide the words by your pace: 1,000 words takes about 7 minutes 42 seconds at 130 words a minute and 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150. Leave room for pauses, laughter and slides. The paces are typical figures for English; time yourself reading a paragraph aloud to find your own.
Four steps to the right length
Step 1: Choose the direction
Pick How long is my speech? to time a script, or How many words? to start from the minutes you have.
Step 2: Give it the words or the time
Paste your speech and the words are counted as you type, or type a word count. For a target, type the minutes and seconds, or tap a common length.
Step 3: Pick a pace
Slow 110, Steady 130, Conversational 150 or Fast 170 words a minute, or type your own pace from a timed read-through.
Step 4: Add pauses and slides
Add 10% or 20% for pauses, laughter and applause, and a few seconds for each slide change. The result and the table update with every change.
How many words for each length
The most words that fit at each pace, with no allowance for pauses. These are the calculator's own numbers, rounded down so a speech written to them does not run over.
| Length | Slow110 wpm | Steady130 wpm | Conversational150 wpm | Fast170 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 110 | 130 | 150 | 170 |
| 2 minutes | 220 | 260 | 300 | 340 |
| 3 minutes | 330 | 390 | 450 | 510 |
| 5 minutes | 550 | 650 | 750 | 850 |
| 7 minutes | 770 | 910 | 1,050 | 1,190 |
| 10 minutes | 1,100 | 1,300 | 1,500 | 1,700 |
| 15 minutes | 1,650 | 1,950 | 2,250 | 2,550 |
| 20 minutes | 2,200 | 2,600 | 3,000 | 3,400 |
The paces are typical figures for English. Speech coaches give 130 to 150 words a minute for a prepared talk, the National Center for Voice and Speech puts everyday American conversation at about 150, and VirtualSpeech measured popular TED talks at 173 on average.
Where speech timings go wrong
Find your own pace in a minute
Read a paragraph aloud, standing, at the volume you will use, and time it. Words ÷ minutes is your pace: 210 words in 1 minute 30 seconds is 140 words a minute. Type it in as a custom pace.
Write to the slower figure
Most speakers go faster on the day than in rehearsal, and laughs and applause slow them down again. Writing to 130 words a minute rather than 150 leaves room for both.
Pauses are part of the speech
A pause after a key line, a laugh, a toast: none of it shows in a word count. The pause allowance adds a share of the speaking time back, so the total is closer to the clock.
Count slides separately
A slide change costs a click, a glance and a breath. Type how many slides you have and the seconds each one takes, and the calculator adds that time on top of the words.
Questions people ask
Anything we've missed?
How many words is a 3-minute speech?
About 390 to 450 words at 130 to 150 words a minute. A slow, deliberate speaker at 110 fits about 330; a fast one at 170 about 510. Pick the pace in the calculator and the 3 minutes row of the table shows the count.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
About 650 to 750 words at 130 to 150 words a minute. With 10% added for pauses at 130 words a minute, the target drops to 590 words.
How long is a 1,000-word speech?
About 7 minutes 42 seconds at 130 words a minute and 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150. At a slow 110 it takes 9 minutes 5 seconds; at a fast 170, 5 minutes 53 seconds.
How many words a minute is a normal speaking pace?
Speech coaches give 130 to 150 words a minute for a prepared speech. The National Center for Voice and Speech puts average American conversation at about 150, and VirtualSpeech measured popular TED talks at 173 on average. These are typical figures for English, not rules; your own timed read-through is the best figure.
How does it count words?
The same way as the Spolvero teleprompter: a word is anything between spaces that has a letter or a digit in it. 1,000, don't and well-known count as one word each, and a dash standing on its own does not count. Paste the same script into both and you get the same count.
Does it work for a Hindi speech?
It counts Hindi words written in Devanagari the same way, word by word between spaces, and a danda (।) on its own is not counted. The pace presets are figures for English speech, so for Hindi time yourself reading a paragraph and type that pace in.
What do the pause and slide allowances do?
The pause allowance adds 10% or 20% of the speaking time for pauses, laughter and applause. The slide allowance adds the seconds you give each slide change, times the number of slides. Both are added to the time, or taken out of the word target.
Can I send my speech to the teleprompter or the speech timer?
Not directly: the result links to both, and they take a script or a time as you set them. Paste the speech into the teleprompter, which counts words the same way, or set the speech timer's green, amber and red points to the length you worked out.
Is my speech uploaded or saved?
No. The counting and the arithmetic run in your browser. Nothing you paste is sent anywhere or saved, and there is nothing to sign in to.
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