How long is a speech in words?
At an average 130 words per minute, here's how many words fit in each length of speech or video. Use the slow column for a careful talk with pauses and the fast one for an energetic video.
| Length | Slow, 110 wpm | Average, 130 wpm | Fast, 160 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 110 words | 130 words | 160 words |
| 2 minutes | 220 words | 260 words | 320 words |
| 3 minutes | 330 words | 390 words | 480 words |
| 5 minutes | 550 words | 650 words | 800 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,100 words | 1,300 words | 1,600 words |
| 15 minutes | 1,650 words | 1,950 words | 2,400 words |
| 20 minutes | 2,200 words | 2,600 words | 3,200 words |
| 30 minutes | 3,300 words | 3,900 words | 4,800 words |
Sample scripts by length
To hear what a length really feels like, press Try a sample above and read one of the 1, 3 or 5 minute scripts out loud on the teleprompter. It tells you how long the read took when you reach the end.
How long does it take to say 500 or 1,000 words?
| Words | Speaking, 130 wpm | Reading silently, 238 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| 100 words | 46 sec | 25 sec |
| 250 words | 1 min 55 sec | 1 min 3 sec |
| 500 words | 3 min 51 sec | 2 min 6 sec |
| 750 words | 5 min 46 sec | 3 min 9 sec |
| 1,000 words | 7 min 42 sec | 4 min 12 sec |
| 1,500 words | 11 min 32 sec | 6 min 18 sec |
| 2,000 words | 15 min 23 sec | 8 min 24 sec |
| 3,000 words | 23 min 5 sec | 12 min 36 sec |
Why your own pace matters
Calculators that assume one speed can be a minute off on a five minute speech. Someone who speaks at 160 words per minute gets through 650 words in about 4 minutes, while at 110 the same speech takes nearly 6. The pace test above times you on a real passage, and your result is saved in this browser for next time.
- Read the test the way you'll actually deliver the speech, not the way you'd read an email.
- Add a few seconds for each pause you plan, like a laugh line, a slide change or a demo.
- For a talk with a hard limit, aim for 90% of the time. Applause, questions and a lost slide take longer than you expect.
Practise it on the teleprompter
Once the length is right, press Read it on the teleprompter to open the same script in the free online teleprompter. It scrolls as you talk, so you can rehearse the whole thing and see how long it really takes. To read it while you film on an iPhone, in the Camera app, TikTok or Instagram, use Float Script for iPhone.