Whether you’re presenting at work or giving a toast at a special event, determining the right word count for your speech can be tricky. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
You can use our handy guide to find out how many words should be in your speech, based on the number of minutes you have to speak. We will also discuss the ideal word count for different lengths of speeches. Let’s get started!
How Many Words Based On the Number of Minutes
The average person speaks at a rate of about 125 to 200 words per minute, but this can vary depending on your natural speaking style and the context of your speech. Other factors like how well you know your material and how nervous you are can also affect your speaking rate.
When it comes to speeches, many people worry about how many words they should use per minute. The truth is, there is no magic number. However, knowing the average word count for different speech lengths can help you plan and pace your words more effectively.
Here is a breakdown of the average word counts for speeches of different lengths:
How Many Words in a 1-minute speech? A 1-minute speech should contain between 125 and 200 words.
How Many Words in a 2-minute speech? A 2-minute speech should contain between 250 and 400 words.
How Many Words in a 3-minute speech? A 3-minute speech should contain between 375 and 600 words.
How Many Words in a 4-minute speech? A 4-minute speech should contain between 500 and 800 words.
How Many Words in a 5-minute speech? A 5-minute speech should contain between 625 and 1000 words.
How Many Words in a 6-minute speech? A 6-minute speech should contain between 750 and 1200 words.
How Many Words in a 7-minute speech? A 7-minute speech should contain between 875 and 1400 words.
How Many Words in an 8-minute speech? An 8-minute speech should contain between 1000 and 1600 words.
How Many Words in a 9-minute speech? A 9-minute speech should contain between 1125 and 1800 words.
How Many Words in a 10-minute speech? A 10-minute speech should contain between 1250 and 2000 words.
How Many Words in an 11-minute speech? An 11-minute speech should contain between 1375 and 2200 words.
How Many Words in a 12-minute speech? A 12-minute speech should contain between 1500 and 2400 words.
How Many Words in a 13-minute speech? A 13-minute speech should contain between 1625 and 2600 words.
How Many Words in a 14-minute speech? A 14-minute speech should contain between 1750 and 2800 words.
How Many Words in a 15-minute speech? A 15-minute speech should contain between 1875 and 3000 words.
How Many Words in a 16-minute speech? A 16-minute speech should contain between 2000 and 3200 words.
How Many Words in a 17-minute speech? A 17-minute speech should contain between 2125 and 3400 words.
How Many Words in an 18-minute speech? An 18-minute speech should contain between 2250 and 3600 words.
How Many Words in a 19-minute speech? A 19-minute speech should contain between 2375 and 3800 words.
How Many Words in a 20-minute speech? A 20-minute speech should contain between 2500 and 4000 words.
How Many Words in a 21-minute speech? A 21-minute speech should contain between 2625 and 4200 words.
How Many Words in a 22-minute speech? A 22-minute speech should contain between 2750 and 4400 words.
How Many Words in a 23-minute speech? A 23-minute speech should contain between 2875 and 4600 words.
How Many Words in a 24-minute speech? A 24-minute speech should contain between 3000 and 4800 words.
How Many Words in a 25-minute speech? A 25-minute speech should contain between 3125 and 5000 words.
How Many Words in a 26-minute speech? A 26-minute speech should contain between 3250 and 5200 words.
How Many Words in a 27-minute speech? A 27-minute speech should contain between 3375 and 5400 words.
How Many Words in a 28-minute speech? A 28-minute speech should contain between 3500 and 5600 words.
How Many Words in a 29-minute speech? A 29-minute speech should contain between 3625 and 5800 words.
How Many Words in a 30-minute speech? A 30-minute speech should contain between 3750 and 6000 words.
How Many Words in a 31-minute speech? A 31-minute speech should contain between 3875 and 6200 words.
How Many Words in a 32-minute speech? A 32-minute speech should contain between 4000 and 6400 words.
How Many Words in a 33-minute speech? A 33-minute speech should contain between 4125 and 6600 words.
How Many Words in a 34-minute speech? A 34-minute speech should contain between 4250 and 6800 words.
How Many Words in a 35-minute speech? A 35-minute speech should contain between 4375 and 7000 words.
How Many Words in a 36-minute speech? A 36-minute speech should contain between 4500 and 7200 words.
How Many Words in a 37-minute speech? A 37-minute speech should contain between 4625 and 7400 words.
How Many Words in a 38-minute speech? A 38-minute speech should contain between 4750 and 7600 words.
How Many Words in a 39-minute speech? A 39-minute speech should contain between 4875 and 7800 words.
How Many Words in a 40-minute speech? A 40-minute speech should contain between 5000 and 8000 words.
How Many Words in a 41-minute speech? A 41-minute speech should contain between 5125 and 8200 words.
How Many Words in a 42-minute speech? A 42-minute speech should contain between 5250 and 8400 words.
How Many Words in a 43-minute speech? A 43-minute speech should contain between 5375 and 8600 words.
How Many Words in a 44-minute speech? A 44-minute speech should contain between 5500 and 8800 words.
How Many Words in a 45-minute speech? A 45-minute speech should contain between 5625 and 9000 words.
How Many Words in a 46-minute speech? A 46-minute speech should contain between 5750 and 9200 words.
How Many Words in a 47-minute speech? A 47-minute speech should contain between 5875 and 9400 words.
How Many Words in a 48-minute speech? A 48-minute speech should contain between 6000 and 9600 words.
How Many Words in a 49-minute speech? A 49-minute speech should contain between 6125 and 9800 words.
How Many Words in a 50-minute speech? A 50-minute speech should contain between 6250 and 10000 words.
How Many Words in a 51-minute speech? A 51-minute speech should contain between 6375 and 10200 words.
How Many Words in a 52-minute speech? A 52-minute speech should contain between 6500 and 10400 words.
How Many Words in a 53-minute speech? A 53-minute speech should contain between 6625 and 10600 words.
How Many Words in a 54-minute speech? A 54-minute speech should contain between 6750 and 10800 words.
How Many Words in a 55-minute speech? A 55-minute speech should contain between 6875 and 11000 words.
How Many Words in a 56-minute speech? A 56-minute speech should contain between 7000 and 11200 words.
How Many Words in a 57-minute speech? A 57-minute speech should contain between 7125 and 11400 words.
How Many Words in a 58-minute speech? A 58-minute speech should contain between 7250 and 11600 words.
How Many Words in a 59-minute speech? A 59-minute speech should contain between 7375 and 11800 words.
How Many Words in a 60-minute speech? A 60-minute speech should contain between 7500 and 12000 words.
How Many Words in an hour-long speech? An hour-long speech should contain between 7500 and 12000 words.
How Many Minutes Based On the Number of Words
If you have a written manuscript, you might be wondering how many minutes it will require to cover it entirely. Here is a basic guide of how many minutes you should aim for, based on the word count:
How Many Minutes is 100 words? 100 words should take between 0.5 and 0.8 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 200 words? 200 words should take between 1 and 1.6 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 250 words? 250 words should take between 1.25 and 2 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 500 words? 500 words should take between 2.5 and 4 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 750 words? 750 words should take between 3.75 and 6 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 1000 words? 1000 words should take between 5 and 8 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 1250 words? 1250 words should take between 6.25 and 10 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 1500 words? 1500 words should take between 7.5 and 12 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 1750 words? 1750 words should take between 8.75 and 14 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 2000 words? 2000 words should take between 10 and 16 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 2250 words? 2250 words should take between 11.25 and 18 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 2500 words? 2500 words should take between 12.5 and 20 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 2750 words? 2750 words should take between 13.75 and 22 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 3000 words? 3000 words should take between 15 and 24 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 3250 words? 3250 words should take between 16.25 and 26 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 3500 words? 3500 words should take between 17.5 and 28 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 3750 words? 3750 words should take between 18.75 and 30 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 4000 words? 4000 words should take between 20 and 32 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 4250 words? 4250 words should take between 21.25 and 34 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 4500 words? 4500 words should take between 22.5 and 36 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 4750 words? 4750 words should take between 23.75 and 38 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 5000 words? 5000 words should take between 25 and 40 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 5250 words? 5250 words should take between 26.25 and 42 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 5500 words? 5500 words should take between 27.5 and 44 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 5750 words? 5750 words should take between 28.75 and 46 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 6000 words? 6000 words should take between 30 and 48 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 6250 words? 6250 words should take between 31.25 and 50 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 6500 words? 6500 words should take between 32.5 and 52 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 6750 words? 6750 words should take between 33.75 and 54 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 7000 words? 7000 words should take between 35 and 56 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 7250 words? 7250 words should take between 36.25 and 58 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 7500 words? 7500 words should take between 37.5 and 60 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 7750 words? 7750 words should take between 38.75 and 62 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 8000 words? 8000 words should take between 40 and 64 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 8250 words? 8250 words should take between 41.25 and 66 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 8500 words? 8500 words should take between 42.5 and 68 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 8750 words? 8750 words should take between 43.75 and 70 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 9000 words? 9000 words should take between 45 and 72 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 9250 words? 9250 words should take between 46.25 and 74 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 9500 words? 9500 words should take between 47.5 and 76 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 9750 words? 9750 words should take between 48.75 and 78 minutes.
How Many Minutes is 10000 words? 10000 words should take between 50 and 80 minutes.
Conclusion
It’s important to know how many words your speech should be so that you can plan and structure it accordingly. We hope this guide will help you determine the number of minutes your speech should be based on the number of words. Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline, and you may need more or less time depending on your content.
So use this as a starting point, and then adjust as needed. And most importantly, practice, practice, practice! The more you run through your speech beforehand, the smoother it will go when you’re up in front of an audience. Thanks for reading!
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FAQs
How many words should you say per minute in a speech? ›
The general rule for speech giving is 100 to 200 words per minute. With this in mind, a 10-minute speech would require 1,000 to 2,000 words.
Is 500 words enough for a 5 minute speech? ›A speaker with an average speaking speed will need 700 words for a 5 minutes speech. A fast speaker will need 850 words for the same speech length. A slow speaker will only need 550 words.
How many words should a 10-minute presentation be? ›Given the normal speed of speech, you should consider a 10-minute talk the same as a 1500-word paper. Rule of thumb for the number of slides is 10 slides for 10 minutes, and many speakers will vary between 20 to 30 seconds or a minute per slide.
How long should a 5 minute speech in words be? ›How Many Words Are in a 5-Minute Presentation? A person speaks on average 120 to 160 words a minute, which means the average five-minute presentation will be anywhere from 600 to 800 words.
How many words is a 20-minute presentation? ›Length: ✓ People speak at rate of 125 – 150 words per minute. ✓ A 20-minute speech would be 2500 – 3000 words (word count function on computer) or about 8-10 typed pages, double spaced.
How many words do you need for a 15 minute presentation? ›100 words per minute.
As a rule of thumb, most people talk at about 100 words per minute, so in a 15 minute conference talk, you can say only about 1500 words.
On average there are 600 words in a 4 minute speech. This is based on the average speech rate of 250 words per minute.
How many words is a 3 to 5 minute speech? ›As mentioned earlier, the average words a person can say in a minute speech are around 100 to 150 but can change depending on the speaker's pacing and situation. That is why if you want to know how many words is a 3-minute speech, then the short answer is about 300 up to 450 words.
How many slides do you need for a 3 minute presentation? ›Rules of 3MT competition
A maximum of 3 static PowerPoint slides is permitted. No animations or 'movement' of any description are allowed. The slides are to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
750 words is 5 minutes of speaking time.
How long is a script for a 20 minute presentation? ›
A good rule of thumb: the proportion of pages to minutes is just a smidgen over one to two. In other words, a 20-minute presentation should be nine to ten pagels long, while a 15-minute presentation should be seven to eight pages long. No more than eight.
How many words is a 30 minute presentation? ›Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 30 minutes long speech will have about 3,900 words .
How many words do I need for a 8 minute speech? ›An 8-minute speech should contain between 1000 and 1600 words. How Many Words in a 9-minute speech? A 9-minute speech should contain between 1125 and 1800 words.
How many words is a 5 minute speech Toastmasters? ›A good rule of thumb is that a five- to seven-minute speech should be around 800 words.
Is 600 words enough for a 5 minute speech? ›Most speakers have 650 – 850 words in a 5 minute speech, with the average at ~700 words.
How many words is a 50 minute presentation? ›Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 50 minutes long speech will have about 6,500 words .
How many words are needed for a 40 minute presentation? ›Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 40 minutes long speech will have about 5,200 words .
How many words is a 60 minute presentation? ›Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 60 minutes long speech will have about 7,800 words .
How many slides do I need for a 15 20 minute presentation? ›How Many Slides for a 15-Minute Presentation? The short answer: Anywhere between 10 slides to up to 30 slides of 30 seconds each are perfect. We recommend an average of 20-25 slides if you have a lot to cover.
How many words can you say in a 6 minute presentation? ›How many words are there in a 6-minute speech? If you are a slow speaker less than 720 words. If you speak at an average speed between: 720 – 960 words. If you are a fast speaker between: 960 - 1200 words.
How long should it take to make a 15 minute presentation? ›
One hour of preparation per minute of presentation. That's the rule of thumb Russell gives for how long it takes to prepare a new, formal presentation.
How fast should I speak in a presentation? ›The average rate of speech for presentations is generally between 110 – 160 words per minute. To calculate your rate of speech, record yourself talking for a few minutes and add up the words in your speech. Divide the number of words by the number of minutes in your speech.
What does a 5 minute presentation look like? ›When creating a five minute presentation, plan to present a slide per minute. The five slides, in order, include a Title/Author/Affiliation slide, an Outline slide, a Problem Description/Motivation slide, a Proposed Approach/Alternative slide, and a Summary/Conclusion slide.
How many words is a 1 minute and 30 second speech? ›Speech and publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant found that, on average, people speak at a rate of 125 to 150 wpm so a 1 minutes long speech uses between 125 to 150 words.
How do you calculate words per minute? ›Divide the number of words by the number of minutes.
For example, let's say that we type 102 words in 1 minute and 30 seconds. To find our WPM, we would divide 102 words/1.5 minutes to get 68 WPM.
To save the venture capital community from death-by-PowerPoint, he evangelized the 10/20/30 rule for presentations which states that “a presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.”
How many slides is a 20 minute talk? ›This rule states that the “perfect” presentation has ten slides, lasts for 20 minutes, and uses a 30pt font. Or you might've read that every minute you speak equates to one slide on display behind you.
How many slides do you need for a 2 hour lecture? ›Hands-down, the best advice for creating slides is Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule of PowerPoint, which says you should have just 10 slides, your presentation should last no more than 20 minutes, and your font should be no less than 30 points.
Is speaking 200 words per minute good? ›Speech rate guidelines
Slow speech is usually regarded as less than 110 wpm, or words per minute. Conversational speech generally falls between 120 wpm at the slow end, to 160 - 200 wpm in the fast range. People who read books for radio or podcasts are often asked to speak at 150-160 wpm.
There are 300 words per minute in a 2 minute speech. 2 minutes isn't a long time so when you speak, you could endure the average speaking rate. How many words are there in a 3 minute speech? On average there are 450 words in a 3 minute speech.
How many minutes is a 300 word speech? ›
Speech and publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant found that, on average, people speak at a rate of 125 to 150 wpm so a 2 minutes long speech uses between 250 to 300 words. You can use our word counter tool to see how long on average your text will take to speak.
How many words is a 4 minute speech? ›Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 4 minutes long speech will have about 520 words .
What is a good speaking speed for presentations? ›A good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per minute (wpm). A rate higher than 160 words per minute can be difficult for the listener to absorb the material. There may be some areas of the country that speak at faster rates but a slower rate is preferable.
What is ideal rate of speech? ›Most experts agree that the ideal rate of speech is between one hundred and forty to hundred and eighty words per minute, generally known as WPM – Words Per Minute. At this rate of speech, your audience would be able to listen to and follow your speech.
What is the best speed for presentations? ›A comfortable speed of talking for listeners is approximately 150 – 160 words per minute. Identify a section of your talk which is about 150 words long, and make sure it takes you at least a minute to deliver it.
How long should a 500 word speech take? ›| Speech Length | Slow (100 wpm) | Fast (160 wpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 100 words | 160 words |
| 5 minutes | 500 words | 800 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,000 words | 1,600 words |
| 15 minutes | 1,500 words | 2,400 words |
Speech and publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant found that, on average, people speak at a rate of 125 to 150 wpm so a 10 minutes long speech uses between 1,250 to 1,500 words. You can use our word counter tool to see how long on average your text will take to speak.
How many words is a 60 minute speech? ›Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 60 minutes long speech will have about 7,800 words .
Is speaking 100 words per minute? ›Most people speak at an average speed of four to five syllables per second. Most words are two to three syllables long, giving you the answer that the average person speaks approximately 100 – 130 words per minute. A professional voice over artist usually uses 150 to 160 words per minute.