Speech time calculator

How speaking time is calculated

Speaking time is the word count divided by your speaking rate in words per minute (wpm). The result is in minutes; the fractional part times 60 gives the seconds. A 1,300-word script read at an average 140 wpm takes 1,300 ÷ 140 = 9.29 minutes, which is 9 minutes 17 seconds. The same script runs 11:49 at a slow 110 wpm and 7:39 at a fast 170 wpm, so pace alone can move a talk by more than four minutes.

To work backwards from a time slot, multiply the minutes by your pace: a 5-minute toast at 140 wpm needs about 700 words, and a 20-minute keynote about 2,800.

Choosing the right pace for your talk

The National Center for Voice and Speech puts average conversational English at about 150 words per minute, but people speaking to a room usually slow down, especially with slides, technical terms or a non-native audience. That is why the default here is 140 wpm. Pick slow for eulogies, wedding speeches, lectures and anything with numbers the audience must follow; pick fast only for energetic pitches or if a recording of you shows you really talk that quickly.

The most reliable way to find your own rate is to read one page of your script aloud with a timer, then divide the words on that page by the minutes it took. Use that figure instead of the presets when timing matters, for example in a contest with a strict limit.

Remember that a word count only covers the words. Planned pauses, a story told from memory, applause, questions and moving between slides all add time, so aim for a script that fills about 90% of your slot. If a 10-minute slot gives you 1,400 words at average pace, write closer to 1,250 and keep the rest as a buffer.