Words to Minutes
Reading and speaking time.
Convert any word count to a reading or speaking duration. Adjust the words-per-minute for your audience.
Reading time
4m 27s
Speaking time
7m 42s
Common reference points
- 1-minute speech ≈ 130 words
- 3-minute pitch ≈ 390 words
- 5-minute talk ≈ 650 words
- 10-minute presentation ≈ 1,300 words
- 18-minute TED talk ≈ 2,300 words
- Average blog post (1,500 words) reads in ≈ 7 minutes
Frequently asked questions
- How fast do people read?
- Silent reading averages 200-250 words per minute for adults; this tool uses 225 wpm. Skimming runs 400-600 wpm and careful study reading drops to 100-150 wpm.
- How fast do people speak?
- Comfortable public speaking averages 130 wpm. Conversational pace is closer to 150 wpm, podcast hosts and audiobook narrators sit around 160 wpm, and auctioneers can hit 250+ wpm.
- How long should a speech of X minutes be?
- Aim for about 130 words per minute. A 5-minute talk is ~650 words; a TED-length 18-minute talk is around 2,300 words. Pad slightly for pauses and audience reactions.
- Is the calculation accurate for non-English text?
- The 225/130 wpm presets are tuned for English. Other languages with longer compound words (German) or different pacing (Mandarin) will read or speak in different windows — adjust the WPM input to match.