How many words is a 1, 5 or 10 minute speech?
Most people speak to an audience at somewhere between 130 and 150 words per minute. That's slower than everyday conversation, because good speakers pause, breathe and let points land. Use that range to turn a time limit into a word count.
| Speech length | Words (130 wpm) | Words (150 wpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 130 | 150 |
| 2 minutes | 260 | 300 |
| 3 minutes | 390 | 450 |
| 5 minutes | 650 | 750 |
| 10 minutes | 1,300 | 1,500 |
| 15 minutes | 1,950 | 2,250 |
| 20 minutes | 2,600 | 3,000 |
Which end of the range should you use?
Aim for the lower number if you're nervous, presenting technical material, speaking to a large room, or working with slides you need to point at. Nerves make most people speed up, so a script written at 130 words a minute usually lands close to time on the day.
Use the higher number for relaxed, conversational talks: a toast, a eulogy shared with friends, or a short update to colleagues.
How to time your own speech
- Paste your draft into a word counter to see the length. TallyTools shows an estimated speaking time automatically.
- Read one full minute out loud at your natural pace with a timer running, then count how far you got. That's your personal words-per-minute.
- Divide your total word count by your personal pace to get a realistic running time.
- Leave room: for a strict 5-minute slot, aim to finish in about 4½ minutes.
Common occasions
A wedding toast works best at 2 to 4 minutes, or roughly 300 to 550 words. A eulogy is often 5 to 7 minutes. Conference lightning talks are usually 5 minutes, and a standard conference talk 20 to 30 minutes, though those depend far more on slides than on a word-for-word script.
Try it: the word counter does this instantly, free and in your browser.