Writing Length and Speech Planners
Speech length calculator.
Find out how long a speech runs from its word count, or how many words fit a time limit. Pick a speaking pace from 110 to 170 words per minute or type your own, and optionally hold back time for pauses. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Your speech
Result
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
1,500 words at 150 words per minute is 1,500 / 150 = 10:00. At 170 wpm it takes 8:49 and at 110 wpm 13:38. Working backwards, a 10 minute slot at 130 wpm with 10% held back for pauses leaves 9 spoken minutes, so 9 x 130 = 1,170 words (990 words at 110 wpm, 1,530 at 170 wpm).
How it works
Minutes = words / words per minute. For a word budget, words = minutes x (1 - pause share) x words per minute. Times are shown as minutes:seconds, rounded to the second. The 110 and 170 wpm rows show the slow and brisk ends of the planning range.
The 110 to 170 words per minute presets are planning rules of thumb, not a published standard. For reference, Wikipedia, “Words per minute” says audiobooks are recommended at 150 to 160 words per minute and slide presentations tend to be closer to 100 to 125 wpm for a comfortable pace; Brysbaert (2019), “How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate”, Journal of Memory and Language puts the average adult oral reading rate at 183 wpm (based on 77 studies). Rehearse out loud and time yourself; real pace changes with nerves, audience and material.
Sources and basis (opened 2026-10-08): Wikipedia, “Words per minute”; Brysbaert (2019), “How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate”, Journal of Memory and Language. Speaking-pace presets: planning rule of thumb. Arithmetic only otherwise.
FAQ
How long is a 1,500 word speech?
About 10 minutes at 150 words per minute, from 8:49 at 170 wpm to 13:38 at 110 wpm.
How many words is a 5 minute speech?
About 650 words at 130 wpm, or about 750 words at 150 wpm. The tool shows the range from 110 to 170 wpm for your own time limit.
What is a good speaking pace?
There is no single standard. Wikipedia reports audiobooks recommended at 150 to 160 words per minute and slide presentations closer to 100 to 125 wpm for a comfortable pace. Pick the rate that matches how you really speak by timing a rehearsal.
Why hold time back for pauses?
Pauses, slide changes, audience reactions and questions take time that is not spoken. The pause percentage shrinks the spoken minutes before multiplying by your pace.