Speech Time Calculator

Direct answers

How many words is a 5-minute speech? At a comfortable conference pace of 130 WPM, a 5-minute speech is about 650 words. At a faster TED-style 155 WPM, it's closer to 775 words. For a slow ceremonial pace (wedding toast at 120 WPM), aim for 600 words.

How many words is a 10-minute speech? Roughly 1,300 words at conference pace, 1,550 words at TED pace, or 1,200 words at slow ceremonial pace.

How many words per minute is normal speech? Conversational speech runs around 150 WPM. Public speaking is slower — most experienced speakers stay between 120 and 160 WPM, with 130 being the comfortable default.

What the speaking-pace presets mean

Wedding toast — 120 WPM

Slowest of the common modes. You're speaking through emotion, often with pauses for laughter, applause, or composure. Wedding toasts that feel “right” are usually 2–4 minutes — that's 240–480 words. Anything past 5 minutes (600 words) starts to test the room.

Conference talk — 130 WPM

The default for technical or business presentations. Allows for slide transitions, audience reactions, and the occasional sip of water. Most TEDx talks under 12 minutes use this pace; the gold standard “10-minute” slot at this pace is 1,300 words.

TED-style — 155 WPM

TED proper trains its speakers toward this pace — energetic enough to keep momentum, slow enough to be comprehensible to a global audience. The headline TED stat: “an 18-minute talk” is roughly 2,790 words at this pace.

Lightning talk — 170 WPM

Almost no buffer. You're talking fast on purpose because the format demands it (5-minute Ignite talks, lightning rounds at conferences, pitch-day demos). For a 5-minute lightning talk, aim for 850 words and rehearse aggressively.

Use cases

Conference and meetup talks

You've been given a 20-minute slot. Subtract 2–3 minutes for Q&A and intro/outro. That leaves 17 minutes of content at 130 WPM = ~2,200 words of script. Going substantially over rushes the delivery; under means dead air.

Wedding speeches and toasts

Aim short. The most-loved wedding toasts are 3–4 minutes (390–520 words at 130 WPM, slower if you're emotional). If you've written 800 words, you're heading for 6 minutes — cut.

TED and TEDx applications

Standard TEDx slot is 12 or 18 minutes. At TED pace (155 WPM), that's 1,860 or 2,790 words respectively. Practice with a stopwatch — most first-time speakers run 10–15% over their target unless they cut.

Sermons and homilies

Catholic homilies are typically 5–10 minutes (650–1,300 words at 130 WPM). Protestant sermons run longer, often 25–45 minutes (3,250–5,850 words). Pace varies by tradition.

Podcast scripts and YouTube videos

YouTube tutorials average 150 WPM. A 10-minute video is roughly 1,500 words of script. Add 10–20% for visual demonstrations, ad reads, or pauses on screen.

Eulogies

Most eulogies run 3–5 minutes (360–650 words at 120 WPM, accounting for emotional pauses).

Best man / maid of honour speeches

Sweet spot is 3–5 minutes. Above 6 minutes risks losing the room. 400–650 words at slow ceremonial pace.

Award acceptance speeches

60–90 seconds is the standard. 130–195 words. The Oscars cue the music at 45 seconds.

Pitch decks and demo days

Y Combinator demo day talks are 2 minutes — that's 260 words at 130 WPM, but most YC demos run faster (160 WPM, ~320 words) because they're rehearsed to the second.

Tips for hitting your target time

1. Read your draft out loud with a stopwatch. Reading silently is not a useful proxy — your eyes outrun your mouth by 30%.
2. Cut to 90% of your target word count, then rehearse. Most speakers expand on the day, not contract.
3. Mark pause points in your script. A 1-second pause after a key line is often worth 3 sentences of restating.
4. For high-stakes speeches, rehearse 3+ times all the way through. First-time delivery is always 10–15% slower than rehearsed delivery.
5. Match pace to content density. A speech full of numbers, technical terms, or unfamiliar names should slow to 110–120 WPM. Storytelling can run 140–160.

How accurate is this?

Word-count-to-time math is exact arithmetic, but real delivery varies. The biggest sources of variance:

• Pauses. A speech full of dramatic or laughter pauses can run 15–25% longer than the math suggests.
• Audience reaction. Live audiences add 5–15% (laughs, applause, “yeah!”s).
• Nerves. First-time speakers run 10–15% faster than rehearsed; experienced speakers run on rehearsed pace.
• Script density. A speech with lots of short, punchy sentences reads faster than the same word count of complex prose.

For high-stakes speeches, use the calculator to set a starting target, then time yourself with a stopwatch reading the full script aloud. That number is more reliable than any formula.

Related calculators

• How long does it take to read 500 words? — silent reading vs aloud
• How long does it take to read 1,000 words? — full breakdown
• Reading time calculator — paste any text, get reading time

Frequently asked questions