A speech time calculator answers one question: how long will these words take to say? It's the quickest way to check whether a wedding toast fits its two minutes, whether a conference talk will overrun its slot, or how many words a YouTube script needs to land at eight minutes. The calculator above does the arithmetic. The rest of this page explains the numbers, so you can trust them, or adjust them for the way you actually speak.
How the calculation works
Speaking time is word count divided by speaking pace, measured in words per minute (wpm):
- Minutes = words ÷ wpm. A 700-word script at 140 wpm takes 700 ÷ 140 = 5 minutes.
- Words = minutes × wpm. A 3-minute slot at 130 wpm holds 3 × 130 = 390 words.
The calculator counts a word as any run of characters between spaces that contains at least one letter or digit. "Teleprompter" is one word, "well-known" is one word, "2026" is one word and a lone dash is none. That matches how most word processors count, so your numbers should agree with Word or Google Docs to within a word or two. For languages written without spaces, such as Chinese or Japanese, word counts aren't meaningful, so time a practice read instead.
The result also shows silent reading time at 238 wpm. That is the average for adult silent reading of non-fiction found by Marc Brysbaert's 2019 analysis of 190 reading studies. It's useful for a blog post or handout, but don't plan a speech with it: reading in your head is almost twice as fast as speaking.
Average speaking rates by context
There is no universal "correct" pace. The ranges below are typical rules of thumb that producers, coaches and publishers plan with. Individual speakers vary by 20 wpm or more either way, which is why measuring your own pace beats any table.
| Context | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Speeches, presentations, keynotes | about 110–140 wpm | Slower so a room can follow, with pauses for emphasis and slides. |
| Lectures, sermons, training | about 110–140 wpm | Dense or new information needs more room. |
| Toasts, eulogies, ceremonies | about 110–130 wpm | Emotion, laughter and nerves all slow things down. |
| Everyday conversation | about 130–160 wpm | The US National Center for Voice and Speech puts the average for American English conversation around 150 wpm. |
| Podcasts and interviews | about 140–170 wpm | Conversational, but tighter after editing. |
| Audiobooks | about 150–160 wpm | ACX, Audible's production platform, estimates about 9,300 words per finished hour, roughly 155 wpm. |
| YouTube explainers and tutorials | about 130–160 wpm | Clear and steady so viewers can follow along. |
| Short-form video and ads | about 150–180 wpm | Energetic delivery, every second counts. |
| TV and radio news | about 150–180 wpm | Trained voices reading tightly written copy. |
If you don't know your pace, start with 140 wpm for a talk or video and 130 wpm for anything emotional or formal. Those are the safest planning numbers.
How many words is a 1, 5, 10 or 60-minute speech?
Here are the most common lengths at 130 wpm (a calm, clear pace) and 150 wpm (a brisk, conversational pace). Most speakers fall between the two columns.
| Speech length | At 130 wpm | At 150 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 130 words | 150 words |
| 2 minutes | 260 words | 300 words |
| 3 minutes | 390 words | 450 words |
| 5 minutes | 650 words | 750 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,300 words | 1,500 words |
| 15 minutes | 1,950 words | 2,250 words |
| 20 minutes | 2,600 words | 3,000 words |
| 30 minutes | 3,900 words | 4,500 words |
| 60 minutes | 7,800 words | 9,000 words |
So a 5-minute speech is about 650 to 750 words, and a 10-minute speech about 1,300 to 1,500 words. These figures assume you talk without stopping. Real speeches have pauses, so the next sections show how to leave room.
How to measure your own speaking pace
Five minutes of testing will make every estimate on this page more accurate:
- Take 200 to 300 words of your real script, or something in the same style.
- Paste it into the calculator to get the exact word count.
- Read it aloud at the pace you'd use for real, standing up if you'll be standing, and time it with your phone's stopwatch.
- Divide words by minutes. 260 words in 1 minute 55 seconds (1.92 minutes) is 260 ÷ 1.92 ≈ 135 wpm.
- Enter that number as your custom pace above.
Do it twice and average the results. Most people read faster when nervous and slower when the text is new, so a rehearsed second read is closer to the real thing. Our guide to teleprompter reading speed has a full calibration routine.
Leave room for pauses, slides and applause
Word-count maths gives you continuous speaking time. A real talk has silences, and they add up:
- Natural pauses between sections and after key points: add about 10%.
- Slides, demos and screen shares: add about 15%, more if you switch apps or wait for things to load.
- Laughter, applause and audience moments at weddings, award nights or live events: add 20 to 25%.
- Q&A isn't covered by any word count. Block it out separately.
Use the "Allow time for pauses" option in the calculator to include this. In reverse mode it works the other way: a 10-minute slot at 140 wpm with a 15% allowance gives you about 1,220 words rather than 1,400. If you have a hard limit, such as a conference slot or a 60-second Reel, plan for 85 to 90% of it and treat the rest as your safety margin.
Rule of thumb: if the calculator says your speech fills the slot exactly, it's too long. Cut until it lands a little under, then rehearse.
From speech time to teleprompter speed
If you'll read from a teleprompter, the pace you used here is the speed to set. Teleprompters that measure speed in words per minute make this direct: in EasyPrompter, the free online teleprompter, you set scrolling speed from 40 to 320 wpm in steps of 5, and the editor shows the word count and estimated reading time at that speed as you type. Set 135 wpm and a 675-word script scrolls in about 5 minutes.
A few practical points:
- Start at your measured pace, then nudge it. In EasyPrompter the ↑ and ↓ keys, or a Bluetooth clicker, change the speed by 10 wpm while the text scrolls. See the remote and keyboard shortcuts in the user guide.
- Pause, don't slow down, for slides and laughter. Tap the text or press Space to stop the scroll, then carry on at your normal pace.
- Write for the ear. Short sentences and blank lines between ideas make a script easier to deliver at a steady pace. Our guide on how to write a teleprompter script shows how.
- Need a draft that fits the time? The AI script writer in EasyPrompter Pro writes scripts of 30 seconds to 5 minutes, sized to your current reading speed.
For tips on sounding natural once the words are scrolling, read how to use a teleprompter.
Frequently asked questions
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
About 650 to 750 words. At 130 words per minute a 5-minute speech is about 650 words, and at 150 words per minute it is about 750. If you plan pauses, slides or audience reactions, aim for the lower end, around 600 to 650 words.
How many words is a 10-minute speech?
About 1,300 to 1,500 words at a typical pace of 130 to 150 words per minute. A slower, more deliberate speaker at 110 words per minute fills 10 minutes with about 1,100 words.
How many words per minute is a normal speaking rate?
Most people speak somewhere between about 120 and 160 words per minute. Presentations and speeches usually sit at the slower end, conversation and podcasts in the middle, and news reads and ads at the faster end. 140 words per minute is a sensible starting point if you don't know your own pace.
How long does it take to say 1,000 words?
About 6 minutes 40 seconds at 150 words per minute, 7 minutes 9 seconds at 140 and 7 minutes 42 seconds at 130. Reading the same 1,000 words silently takes about 4 minutes 12 seconds at an average adult pace of 238 words per minute.
How many words is a 2-minute speech?
About 260 to 300 words at 130 to 150 words per minute. For a short toast or an elevator pitch where you want room to pause, 230 to 260 words is a comfortable target.
How long is a speech on one page?
It depends on the layout. A double-spaced page in 12-point type holds roughly 250 to 300 words, which is about 2 minutes of speaking. A single-spaced page holds roughly 450 to 550 words, or about 3.5 to 4 minutes. Counting words is more reliable than counting pages.
What is the difference between speaking time and reading time?
Speaking time is how long a text takes to say out loud, usually at 120 to 160 words per minute. Reading time is how long it takes to read silently, which is much faster: about 238 words per minute for non-fiction, according to a 2019 meta-analysis. Always plan a speech with speaking time.
Does this calculator save or upload my script?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your text is counted on your device, never sent anywhere and gone when you close the page.
Script timed? Now read it on a teleprompter
EasyPrompter is a free online teleprompter for your phone, tablet or computer. Paste your script, set the speed you measured here and press Start. No download and no account needed.