How speaking time is calculated
Speaking time is the word count divided by your speaking rate in words per minute (WPM). A 750-word speech at 150 WPM takes five minutes. This calculator counts the words in your script, applies the pace you pick, and shows the result as minutes and seconds. Because it recalculates as you type, it works as a live editing aid: cut a paragraph and see exactly how many seconds you saved.
Speaking rate presets
- Eulogy (Deliberate): 110 WPM.
- Conversational (YouTube): 150 WPM.
- Audiobook (Narration): 155 WPM.
- Commercial (Fast ad read): 165 WPM.
Words to minutes chart
Use this chart for a quick estimate. Times are rounded to the nearest second. Select a row for a dedicated page with more detail.
| Words | 110 WPM | 150 WPM | 155 WPM | 165 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 55 sec | 40 sec | 39 sec | 36 sec |
| 250 | 2 min 16 sec | 1 min 40 sec | 1 min 37 sec | 1 min 31 sec |
| 500 | 4 min 33 sec | 3 min 20 sec | 3 min 14 sec | 3 min 2 sec |
| 750 | 6 min 49 sec | 5 min | 4 min 50 sec | 4 min 33 sec |
| 1,000 | 9 min 5 sec | 6 min 40 sec | 6 min 27 sec | 6 min 4 sec |
| 1,500 | 13 min 38 sec | 10 min | 9 min 41 sec | 9 min 5 sec |
| 2,000 | 18 min 11 sec | 13 min 20 sec | 12 min 54 sec | 12 min 7 sec |
| 3,000 | 27 min 16 sec | 20 min | 19 min 21 sec | 18 min 11 sec |
Frequently asked questions
What is a good speaking rate?
For most live speeches and presentations, a good speaking rate is between 130 and 160 words per minute. That range is fast enough to hold attention and slow enough for an audience to follow, take notes, and absorb what you said. The average English speaker talks at roughly 150 words per minute in relaxed conversation, which is why 150 WPM is the default on this calculator.
Context matters more than any single number. A eulogy or a wedding toast benefits from pauses and emotion, so 100 to 120 words per minute feels natural. A product demo or a YouTube video usually sits around 150. Auctioneers and fast-talking ad reads can hit 180 or more, but listeners struggle to retain information at that pace.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
At a conversational pace of 150 words per minute, a 5-minute speech is about 750 words. If you speak more deliberately at 110 words per minute, as is common at funerals and formal ceremonies, a 5-minute speech is closer to 550 words. At a brisk 165 words per minute it stretches to about 825 words.
A safe planning range for five minutes is 650 to 800 words. Write toward the lower end if you plan to pause for laughter, applause, slides, or a drink of water, because every pause eats into your time without adding a single word to the count.
How do you convert words to minutes?
Divide the number of words by your speaking rate in words per minute. A 600-word script read at 150 WPM takes 600 ÷ 150 = 4 minutes. To get seconds, multiply the remainder by 60. A 1,000-word script at 150 WPM takes 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
You do not have to do this by hand. Paste or type your script into the calculator above and it recounts words on every keystroke, so you can trim or expand a draft and watch the running time change immediately.
How many words per minute is a typical voiceover or audiobook?
Audiobook narration is usually recorded at about 150 to 160 words per minute, and the Audible and ACX guidelines used by most publishers are built around roughly 9,300 words per finished hour. This tool uses 155 WPM for audiobooks, which lands in that range.
Commercial voiceover is faster and more compressed. A 30-second radio spot typically holds 70 to 85 words and a 60-second spot holds 140 to 165 words, depending on how much music, sound design, and breathing room the producer wants.
How many words fit in a 15, 30, or 60 second ad?
At a commercial pace of 165 WPM, a 15-second spot holds about 40 words, a 30-second spot about 80 words, and a 60-second spot about 160 words. At a more natural 150 WPM those numbers drop to roughly 37, 75, and 150 words.
Broadcast copy has hard limits. A spot that runs two seconds long can be rejected, re-cut, or billed as a larger buy. The ad-buy indicators under the timer show whether your script fits each standard length at the speed you selected, so you can fix the copy before you book a studio.
Does the speaking rate change for different languages?
Yes. Languages carry different amounts of information per word and per syllable, so words per minute is only meaningful within one language. English averages about 150 WPM in conversation, Spanish speakers often produce more syllables per second but use longer words, and German tends to have fewer, longer compound words. This calculator is tuned for English; for other languages, treat the results as a rough guide and test by reading aloud.
How accurate is a words-to-time calculator?
A calculator gives you a reliable baseline, usually within about ten percent of a real read. It cannot know about dramatic pauses, audience reactions, stumbles, or slides, and it counts every word equally even though long technical terms take longer to say than short function words.
The most accurate method is to combine both approaches: use the calculator to size your script, then time one full read-through out loud and adjust your WPM setting to match your personal pace. Rehearse once more after edits, because a script that runs ten seconds over in practice will run thirty seconds over on the night.
How can I speak more slowly or more naturally?
Mark natural pauses in your script at the end of sentences and before important points. Shorter sentences are easier to deliver slowly and clearly. Read your draft aloud at least twice, and record yourself on a phone so you can hear where you rush.
If you read from a screen, a teleprompter helps you keep a steady pace while holding eye contact. Press Start Teleprompter in the calculator to scroll your script at an adjustable speed in a full-screen, distraction-free view.
How long does it take to read a page, an essay, or a speech of a given length?
A single-spaced page holds about 500 words and takes roughly three and a half minutes to read aloud at 150 WPM. A double-spaced page holds about 250 words and takes about one minute and forty seconds. A 2,000-word essay read aloud runs just over thirteen minutes, and a 3,000-word keynote runs about twenty minutes.
Silent reading is much faster, around 238 words per minute for adults on non-fiction. Never use silent reading speed to time something you will say out loud.
Popular word counts
Jump straight to the answer for a specific length.