How Speech Time Calculator works
Speaking time is the word count divided by your speaking rate. At 130 words per minute, 750 words take 5 min 46 sec; at a slow 100 they take 7 min 30 sec, and at a fast 160 they take 4 min 41 sec. This calculator shows all three at once from a word count or from text you paste, which it counts for you. The three rates are starting assumptions, not facts about your voice, so each has its own field you can change. A target length works in the other direction: enter 5 minutes and it returns 500, 650 and 800 words for the three paces and tells you how far over or short your draft is.
Words per minutes chart: how many words for a speech of each length
Words needed to fill each time slot at the three default rates, rounded to the nearest word.
| Speech length | Slow (100 wpm) | Average (130 wpm) | Fast (160 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 100 | 130 | 160 |
| 2 minutes | 200 | 260 | 320 |
| 3 minutes | 300 | 390 | 480 |
| 4 minutes | 400 | 520 | 640 |
| 5 minutes | 500 | 650 | 800 |
| 6 minutes | 600 | 780 | 960 |
| 7 minutes | 700 | 910 | 1,120 |
| 8 minutes | 800 | 1,040 | 1,280 |
| 10 minutes | 1,000 | 1,300 | 1,600 |
| 12 minutes | 1,200 | 1,560 | 1,920 |
| 15 minutes | 1,500 | 1,950 | 2,400 |
| 18 minutes | 1,800 | 2,340 | 2,880 |
| 20 minutes | 2,000 | 2,600 | 3,200 |
| 30 minutes | 3,000 | 3,900 | 4,800 |
| 45 minutes | 4,500 | 5,850 | 7,200 |
| 60 minutes | 6,000 | 7,800 | 9,600 |
These are upper limits for continuous speaking. Slides, demonstrations, laughter and questions all use time without using words.
Word count to speaking time chart
How long common word counts take to say aloud at each default rate, rounded to the nearest second.
| Words | Slow (100 wpm) | Average (130 wpm) | Fast (160 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1 min | 46 sec | 38 sec |
| 250 | 2 min 30 sec | 1 min 55 sec | 1 min 34 sec |
| 300 | 3 min | 2 min 18 sec | 1 min 53 sec |
| 500 | 5 min | 3 min 51 sec | 3 min 8 sec |
| 750 | 7 min 30 sec | 5 min 46 sec | 4 min 41 sec |
| 1,000 | 10 min | 7 min 42 sec | 6 min 15 sec |
| 1,200 | 12 min | 9 min 14 sec | 7 min 30 sec |
| 1,500 | 15 min | 11 min 32 sec | 9 min 23 sec |
| 2,000 | 20 min | 15 min 23 sec | 12 min 30 sec |
| 2,500 | 25 min | 19 min 14 sec | 15 min 38 sec |
| 3,000 | 30 min | 23 min 5 sec | 18 min 45 sec |
| 5,000 | 50 min | 38 min 28 sec | 31 min 15 sec |
| 10,000 | 1 hr 40 min | 1 hr 16 min 55 sec | 1 hr 2 min 30 sec |
The speaking time formula
Speaking time (minutes) = words / words per minute Words needed = minutes x words per minute
For 750 words at 130 words per minute: 750 / 130 = 5.77 minutes. The 0.77 of a minute is 0.77 x 60, about 46 seconds, so the result is 5 min 46 sec. The calculator rounds to the nearest whole second before splitting into hours, minutes and seconds, so 129 words at 130 wpm, which is 59.5 seconds, is shown as 1 min rather than 60 sec. Word targets are rounded to the nearest whole word.
Examples from real runs
Checking a draft against a 5 minute slot
Word count 750, Speaking pace Average, default rates, Target length 5
Speaking time 5 min 46 sec. Words for 5 minutes: 650, so the draft is 100 words over at average pace.
The same draft takes 7 min 30 sec at slow pace and 4 min 41 sec at fast pace.
A fast speaker with a 10 minute slot
Word count 1,000, Speaking pace Fast, default rates, Target length 10
Speaking time 6 min 15 sec. Words for 10 minutes: 1,600, so the script is 600 words short at fast pace.
Custom rates for an 18 minute talk
Word count 2,500, Speaking pace Slow, rates changed to 110, 140 and 170, Target length 18
Speaking time 22 min 44 sec at 110 wpm, 17 min 51 sec at 140 and 14 min 42 sec at 170. Words for 18 minutes at 110 wpm: 1,980, so 520 words over.
A long script with the average changed to 150 wpm
Word count 10,000, Speaking pace Average, Average pace 150, Target length 60
Speaking time 1 hr 6 min 40 sec. Words for 60 minutes: 9,000, so 1,000 words over.
Pasted text instead of a number
Text: Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation. Speaking pace Slow.
16 words counted from the text, 10 sec at 100 wpm, 7 sec at 130 and 6 sec at 160. The Word count field is ignored.
Choosing a speaking rate, and measuring your own
The defaults are 100 words per minute for slow, 130 for average and 160 for fast. They are round working assumptions that bracket how most prepared speeches are delivered, not measurements, and the right number for you can sit outside them.
Slower rates suit material the audience has to absorb or act on: technical explanations, instructions, formal remarks, eulogies, wedding toasts, and any talk given through an interpreter or to listeners using a second language. Faster rates are typical of energetic delivery, radio-style reads and speakers who know the material well. Nerves tend to speed people up, so a script that fits in rehearsal can finish early on the day.
The most reliable figure is your own. Read a passage aloud at the pace you would use on stage for exactly one minute, mark where you stopped, and paste the part you read into the text box. The Words figure is your personal words per minute. Type it into the Average pace field and every result on the page is then based on your voice.
A word count is only an estimate of time. Long words, numbers, names and lists take longer to say than short common words, and planned pauses, slide changes and audience reaction are not counted at all. For a fixed slot, many speakers aim to finish with some time in hand rather than fill it exactly.
What the calculator does not do
- It does not time you. There is no stopwatch or recording; it converts a count using the rate you set.
- It does not allow for pauses, applause, slide transitions or questions. Add that time yourself.
- Words are counted by splitting pasted text at spaces and line breaks, so stage directions, speaker labels and bracketed notes are counted as spoken words. Remove them first for a cleaner estimate.
- It counts every word the same. A script full of long technical terms or figures will run longer than the estimate.
- It estimates speaking aloud, not silent reading, which is considerably faster. The word counter gives a reading time.
- Word count must be a whole number up to 10,000,000, and rates must be between 20 and 500 words per minute.
How to get your result
- 1
Paste your script into Speech or script text, or leave it empty and type a number in Word count. Pasted text takes priority over the number.
- 2
Choose a Speaking pace: Slow, Average or Fast. This sets the headline Speaking time.
- 3
Adjust Slow pace, Average pace and Fast pace if the default 100, 130 and 160 wpm do not suit you. Any rate from 20 to 500 is accepted.
- 4
Optionally enter a Target length in minutes to see the words needed at each pace and how your count compares.
- 5
Read the Speaking time panel and the By speaking pace table, and copy the Summary if you need it.