ParrotNotes

Speech Time Calculator

Paste your script or enter a word count and see how long the speech, pitch or presentation runs at a slow, average or fast speaking pace. Or turn it around: see how many words fit in a 5-minute slot.

Your script

0 words. The script stays on this page and is not sent to ParrotNotes.

sec

Speaking time

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Words
0
Pace
140 words a minute
Speaking
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The same script at each pace

Slow (110 a minute)
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Average (140 a minute)
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Fast (170 a minute)
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Time = words ÷ words a minute, plus pauses. The paces are rules of thumb; time a rehearsal for yours.

The word count runs in your browser. What you type or paste is not sent to ParrotNotes and is not put in the page address; only the numbers are, so you can share the result.

Rehearsing against the clock? The Speech Timer counts up with green, yellow and red signals, or down to the end of your slot, full screen.

How it works

  1. 1

    Paste or count

    Paste the script and the words are counted as you type, or enter a word count. Working backwards? Switch to Time to words.

  2. 2

    Pick a pace

    Slow, average or fast, or your own words-a-minute figure from a timed rehearsal. Add pauses for slides or a demo.

  3. 3

    Read the time

    See the running time in minutes and seconds, and the same script at each pace, so you know the range.

Words per minute at a glance

How many words fit in a speech of each length, at a slow, average and fast pace.

Words for speeches of 1 to 20 minutes at three speaking paces
Speech lengthSlow (110)Average (140)Fast (170)
1 minute110140170
2 minutes220280340
3 minutes330420510
5 minutes550700850
10 minutes1,1001,4001,700
15 minutes1,6502,1002,550
20 minutes2,2002,8003,400

Words = minutes × words a minute, before pauses.

How fast do people speak?

As a rule of thumb, most people speak somewhere around 120 to 160 words a minute in a presentation; slower for a speech with pauses, faster in conversation. Nerves usually push the pace up, and a room that laughs or asks questions pulls it down.

This page uses 110 words a minute for a slow, deliberate delivery, 140 for an average presentation and 170 for a fast one. They are working numbers, not measurements of you: the only pace that counts is yours, so time a rehearsal and enter your own figure as a custom pace.

How to time a talk

  • Rehearse out loud. Reading silently is two or three times faster than speaking. Say it out loud, standing up if you will stand on the day.
  • Time it, then check your pace. Record or time one full run. Divide the word count by the minutes it took and use that as your custom pace here.
  • Cut 10 percent. Aim to finish with room to spare. If the slot is 10 minutes, write for 9, and leave the last minute for a question or a slow start.
  • Count the pauses. Slide changes, a demo loading, applause, a story that lands: add them as pauses so the total is the time you really need.

Preparing a sales presentation? Read Sales pitch examples for in-person meetings and Sales QBR agenda and template.

Rehearse it out loud

Pace on paper is a guess. Rehearse it out loud with ParrotNotes recording: you get the transcript of what you actually said and a summary, free for 100 minutes a month.

Get ParrotNotes free

Related tools

Speech time calculator FAQ