Words Per Minute: Average Speaking Rate and the Best Pace for a Speech

The average speaking rate for English speakers in the United States is about 150 words per minute, according to the National Center for Voice and Speech. That is the pace of everyday conversation. Speeches and presentations usually run a little slower, with pauses for emphasis, so most speakers plan a talk at about 120 to 150 words per minute. This site uses 130 for planning.

What is the average speaking rate?

About 150 words per minute (WPM) in conversation. Your own rate can be faster or slower: it depends on your habits, your nerves, the material and who you are talking to. The quickest way to find yours is the speaking rate test: read a short passage out loud, tap stop, and see your words per minute.

Speaking rates by situation

What is a good speaking pace for a speech?

Plan your speech at about 130 words per minute. It is slower than conversation, which leaves room for pauses and for the audience to react, and it gives you a buffer for the speeding up that nerves cause on the day.

A good pace is not one number, though. Strong speakers vary it:

Speed up a little when you are:

• Building excitement
• Moving through a list or a quick story beat
• Telling a joke's setup

Slow down when you are:

• Introducing a key point
• Giving numbers, names or steps
• Telling the emotional part of a story

Pause:

• After an important line, so it lands
• After a question, so people can think
• Between sections, so the turn is clear

How to measure your words per minute

The quick test

Use the speaking rate test. You read a fixed passage out loud while a stopwatch runs, and it divides the words by your time. Nothing is recorded.

The manual method

1. Record yourself speaking naturally for 2 minutes.
2. Transcribe what you said, or paste it into a word counter.
3. Count the words.
4. Divide by 2.

Example: 280 words in 2 minutes = 140 words per minute.

With an app

Mic Buddy shows your words per minute after every take, next to your filler words, pauses and clarity, and its Steady pace drill trains you toward 130 to 160 words per minute. It is free to download on iPhone and iPad. Using it takes a subscription: a yearly, monthly or weekly plan.

Speaking too fast or too slow: what to do

Speaking too fast

Signs you're rushing:

• Running out of breath mid-sentence
• Skipping or blurring words
• Finishing well under your time
• More filler words than usual

What helps:

• Mark pauses in your notes (a slash for a short pause, two for a longer one)
• Cut content instead of speeding up to fit it
• Breathe at the end of every sentence
• Practice the opening slowly: nerves speed up the first minute most

Speaking too slow

Signs you're dragging:

• Your energy drops and sentences trail off
• You go over time
• Pauses feel stuck rather than planned

What helps:

• Practice from bullet points instead of reading word for word
• Record and listen back: what feels slow to you may be fine, or may really drag
• Lift your energy on the key lines rather than speeding up everything

Pacing and filler words

Rushing often brings more filler words, because your mouth gets ahead of your plan for the next sentence. Slowing down a little and pausing on purpose cuts both problems at once. See the list of filler words and how to stop using them.

Pacing on video calls and recordings

• Video calls: audio delays and smaller faces make it harder for people to follow, so slow down slightly and pause more often for questions.
• Recorded video and podcasts: clarity matters most. Listeners can replay you, but they won't if the first minute is hard to follow.
• In person: watch the room. Confused faces mean slow down; restless ones mean pick up the pace or move on.

How long will my speech be?

Divide your word count by your speaking rate. At 130 words per minute, 650 words take about 5 minutes and 1,000 words take about 7 minutes 42 seconds. For every length from 1 to 20 minutes, see how many words is a 5-minute speech, or paste your draft into the speech length calculator.

The bottom line

Conversation runs at about 150 words per minute. Plan speeches at about 130, vary your pace on purpose, and measure your real rate instead of guessing: it is the fastest way to stop rushing.