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Speech word-count calculator.
Set your pace, set your time, and get your exact word target in two clicks — then rehearse out loud with the built-in teleprompter. The fast way to write a speech that lands inside its slot.
Speech Word-Count Calculator
Plan it, then rehearse it. Find your word target — then practice out loud with the teleprompter.
A 2-minute speech at 130 words per minute is about 260 words.
Estimates assume natural delivery. Powered by PresEngage® — turn your next talk into pipeline.
How the words-per-minute math works
The whole calculation rests on one number: words per minute (wpm). Multiply your speaking pace by your time, and you have your word target. Most people speak conversationally at 130 to 150 wpm, so a one-minute slot is roughly 130 words and a five-minute slot about 650.
Pace isn't fixed, though, which is why the calculator lets you set it. A slow, deliberate delivery — the kind that suits a eulogy or a high-stakes pitch — runs near 110 wpm. A fast, energetic talk reaches about 160 wpm. Planning to the slower end builds in a safety margin: adrenaline reliably speeds you up on the day, so writing to 130 and delivering at 150 means you finish with breathing room instead of getting cut off.
Two things bend the count down from the baseline: deliberate pauses (a beat of silence after your key line is worth more than another sentence, but it spends time) and dense or technical content (figures and jargon take longer to say cleanly). A warm, story-led talk carries the high end of each range; a numbers-heavy one is safer near the low end.
Words by speech length and pace
A quick reference for the most common slots. Use it to gut-check the calculator, or to plan when you don't have it open.
| Speech length | Slow (110 wpm) | Average (130 wpm) | Fast (160 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 110 words | 130 words | 160 words |
| 2 minutes | 220 words | 260 words | 320 words |
| 2.5 minutes | 275 words | 325 words | 400 words |
| 3 minutes | 330 words | 390 words | 480 words |
| 5 minutes | 550 words | 650 words | 800 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,100 words | 1,300 words | 1,600 words |
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