Timer
Started
—
Finishes
—
0:00
No ads in fullscreen
My times
- Nothing saved yet. Saved times stay on this device — no account, nothing uploaded.
An audio file up to 1 MB. It stays in this browser and appears as "My sound" in the Sound list.
- Space
- Start or pause
- F
- Fullscreen
- Esc
- Leave fullscreen
- R
- Reset
- ↑
- Add a minute
- ↓
- Take off a minute
- M
- Mute or unmute
Read next: How long is a 1,000-word speech? Times from 500 to 2,000 wordsAll 8 timers
Wedding speech timer with a gentle warning
Nobody has ever complained that a wedding speech was too short. Five minutes is the ceiling, three is comfortable, and the amber light is there so you reach your toast rather than being played off before it.
The short answer
Three to five minutes is right for a wedding speech, which is roughly 400 to 700 spoken words. Every speech has a toast at the end, so set amber about a minute before the limit and treat it as the cue to move to it — the speeches that go wrong are the ones still telling a story when the room has stopped listening.
Three steps to a timer on the wall
Step 1: Choose a time
Pick a preset or set your own. The timer remembers what you used last on this device.
Step 2: Press start
Start the timer, then press F or the fullscreen button to fill the screen.
Step 3: Run the room
Space pauses, the up arrow adds a minute, R resets. Fullscreen shows the timer alone, with no ads and no navigation.
Four things worth knowing
Time it with the laughs in
A rehearsed speech runs two to three minutes shorter than the delivered one, because pauses for laughter are not in your practice. Read it aloud with gaps where you hope they will be.
Leave the toast out of the countdown
Your last thirty seconds are the toast, and they are not negotiable. Time the material to finish before that, rather than discovering there is no time left for the part everyone stands up for.
Cut the second anecdote, not the first
Almost every over-long wedding speech has two stories doing the same job. One of them is better. Keep it and lose the other entirely rather than shortening both.
Put the phone on the table, face up
Glancing at a countdown is invisible; pulling a phone out mid-speech is not. Press F for fullscreen and set it down where you can see it without moving.
No ads on your big screen
Ads pay for this page, and they stay on this page. The moment the timer goes fullscreen there is nothing on screen but the time — no banners, no navigation, no surprises in front of a room.
- Fullscreen shows the timer alone
- Ad sounds can never clash with the alarm
- Saved times stay on your device — no account
- Works with an ad blocker, and offline once loaded
Questions people ask
Anything we've missed?
How long should a wedding speech be?
Three to five minutes. Two is perfectly acceptable and will be remembered fondly. Beyond five, a room that has been drinking stops listening whatever you say.
How many words is a five-minute speech?
About 650 to 700 at a relaxed pace, and fewer if there are laughs. Write to 550 and you will have room for the pauses that make it land.
Does the best man speak longest?
By convention, not by much. The best man's is usually the longest of the three, but it is the funniest rather than the longest that gets remembered, and those are rarely the same speech.
Should I use notes?
Yes. Cards in your hand are normal, expected and invisible after the first ten seconds. A forgotten name in a memorised speech is not.
Time something specific
Guides worth reading
- Public speaking
How long is a 1,000-word speech? Times from 500 to 2,000 words
A 1,000-word speech takes about 6 minutes 40 seconds to 7 minutes 42 seconds at a normal pace. Times for 500 to 2,000 words, with pauses and slides.
5 min read - Public speaking
How many words is a 5-minute speech? Word counts from 1 to 20 minutes
A 5-minute speech is about 650 to 750 words at a normal pace. Word counts from 1 to 20 minutes, how to find your own pace, and how to time a practice run.
6 min read - Toastmasters
Toastmasters timing rules: green, amber and red for every speech type
What the timing lights mean, the exact times for every speech type, and the 30-second rule that disqualifies contestants. Plus how to run the timer role.
6 min read
Other timers
- Plan it first
Speech Time Calculator
How long your speech runs, or how many words to write.
- Live
Countdown Timer
Any time you like, rung on time.
- Live
Pomodoro Timer
Twenty-five on, five off, four times.
- Live
Classroom Timer
Big, calm and ad-free on the board.
- Live
Exam Clock
Start time, finish time, time remaining.
- Live
Interval Timer
Work, rest, repeat — on the gym TV.
- Live
Tabata Timer
Eight rounds, twenty on, ten off.
- Live
Debate Timer
British Parliamentary, Worlds, LD.
Built by Spolvero studio. We design apps and websites for other people too.
Need an app designed?