Speech length calculator: words to minutes (and back)

How to use it

1. Words to minutes: type the word count of your script. Most writing apps show it in a status bar or under a word count menu.
2. Minutes to words: type the time you've been given. You'll see the word budget at each pace.
3. Pick the pace that matches how you speak. If you don't know, measure it once with the pace checker.

Minutes to words: quick reference

Words to minutes: quick reference

Times are minutes and seconds of speaking, with no pauses for laughter, applause or slide changes.

Which pace to plan for

• Slow (110): eulogies, emotional toasts, speaking to a large room, or an audience listening in a second language. Also a safe choice if you know you rush when nervous, because nerves usually speed you up.
• Average (140): most presentations, class talks, work updates and interview presentations. Conversational English is commonly cited at about 120 to 160 words per minute, and presentations often land around 130 to 150.
• Fast (170): casual, energetic delivery. Rarely the right plan for a speech, but useful as a worst case: if you rush, this is how short it gets.

Planning tips

• Leave room. Write for about 80 to 90 percent of your slot. A best man speech with a 5-minute slot works better at around 550 to 600 words than at 700, because laughs and pauses take time.
• Slides add time. Each slide change, gesture to a chart or "as you can see here" costs a few seconds. For a slide-heavy talk, plan at the slow column.
• Read it out loud once with a timer. The calculator gives an estimate; your own run is the real number. If they differ by more than a minute, trust the run.
• Cut by section, not by word. If you're over, drop a whole story or point rather than trimming sentences everywhere.

For a step-by-step rehearsal plan, see how to practice a speech. Guides to specific occasions are in speeches and toasts.