How do you convert words to minutes?
Minutes = words ÷ words per minute. Multiply the decimal part by 60 to get seconds. At 150 wpm, 1,000 words is 1,000 ÷ 150 = 6.67 minutes, and 0.67 × 60 = 40 seconds, so 6 minutes 40 seconds.
Words = minutes × words per minute. A 5-minute speech at 150 wpm is 5 × 150 = 750 words. For seconds, divide by 60 first: a 30-second video at 150 wpm fits 30 ÷ 60 × 150 = 75 words.
How long does it take to say 100 to 5,000 words?
| Words | Slow (130 wpm) | Average (150 wpm) | Fast (160 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 words | 0:46 · 0.8 min | 0:40 · 0.7 min | 0:38 · 0.6 min |
| 150 words | 1:09 · 1.2 min | 1:00 · 1.0 min | 0:56 · 0.9 min |
| 200 words | 1:32 · 1.5 min | 1:20 · 1.3 min | 1:15 · 1.3 min |
| 250 words | 1:55 · 1.9 min | 1:40 · 1.7 min | 1:34 · 1.6 min |
| 300 words | 2:18 · 2.3 min | 2:00 · 2.0 min | 1:53 · 1.9 min |
| 400 words | 3:05 · 3.1 min | 2:40 · 2.7 min | 2:30 · 2.5 min |
| 500 words | 3:51 · 3.8 min | 3:20 · 3.3 min | 3:08 · 3.1 min |
| 600 words | 4:37 · 4.6 min | 4:00 · 4.0 min | 3:45 · 3.8 min |
| 750 words | 5:46 · 5.8 min | 5:00 · 5.0 min | 4:41 · 4.7 min |
| 800 words | 6:09 · 6.2 min | 5:20 · 5.3 min | 5:00 · 5.0 min |
| 1,000 words | 7:42 · 7.7 min | 6:40 · 6.7 min | 6:15 · 6.3 min |
| 1,200 words | 9:14 · 9.2 min | 8:00 · 8.0 min | 7:30 · 7.5 min |
| 1,500 words | 11:32 · 11.5 min | 10:00 · 10.0 min | 9:23 · 9.4 min |
| 2,000 words | 15:23 · 15.4 min | 13:20 · 13.3 min | 12:30 · 12.5 min |
| 2,500 words | 19:14 · 19.2 min | 16:40 · 16.7 min | 15:38 · 15.6 min |
| 3,000 words | 23:05 · 23.1 min | 20:00 · 20.0 min | 18:45 · 18.8 min |
| 5,000 words | 38:28 · 38.5 min | 33:20 · 33.3 min | 31:15 · 31.3 min |
Times are minutes:seconds of continuous speech, rounded to the nearest second. Real talks run longer once you add pauses, slides and audience reactions.
How many words is a 1, 5, 10 or 60-minute speech?
| Length | Slow (130 wpm) | Average (150 wpm) | Fast (160 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 130 words | 150 words | 160 words |
| 2 minutes | 260 words | 300 words | 320 words |
| 3 minutes | 390 words | 450 words | 480 words |
| 5 minutes | 650 words | 750 words | 800 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,300 words | 1,500 words | 1,600 words |
| 15 minutes | 1,950 words | 2,250 words | 2,400 words |
| 20 minutes | 2,600 words | 3,000 words | 3,200 words |
| 30 minutes | 3,900 words | 4,500 words | 4,800 words |
| 1 hour | 7,800 words | 9,000 words | 9,600 words |
Writing for video instead of a stage? The script length calculator has the 15-second to 5-minute video lengths, and the video script template splits a 30, 60 or 90-second script into word budgets per beat.
How many words per minute do people speak?
About 150 is the usual planning number, and the measured figures sit close to it:
- Online video: across 862 lecture videos, speaking rates ran from 48 to 254 words per minute with a mean of 156; faster speakers held attention better (Guo, Kim and Rubin, 2014).
- Audiobooks: Audible's ACX says most narrators read about 9,300 words an hour, about 155 a minute (ACX).
- Radio news: one study cited by Wikipedia measured English radio news (BBC) at 168 words per minute (Wikipedia, speech tempo).
- Conversation and presentations: VirtualSpeech gives 120 to 150 wpm for conversation and 100 to 150 for presentations (VirtualSpeech). The often-repeated "the NCVS says 150 wpm" figure is cited second-hand; we couldn't open a primary source for it.
- Voiceovers: Descript recommends 150 to 160 for commercial and explainer voiceovers (Descript); VideoScribe suggests 130 to 150 (VideoScribe).
- Reading, not speaking: adults read English non-fiction silently at about 238 words per minute and aloud at about 183, from a meta-analysis of 190 studies (Brysbaert, 2019; free preprint).
Treat any rate as an estimate. Wikipedia notes that words per minute is a loose unit because "word" has no fixed length, so a script full of long technical terms runs slower than its word count suggests.
Which speaking rate should you use?
- Slow, 130 wpm: speeches, toasts, sermons, talks with slides, and audiences listening in a second language. Leaves room to pause.
- Average, 150 wpm: presentations, podcasts, narration and most explainer voiceovers.
- Fast, 160 wpm: promos, ads and launch videos read with energy. Above this, most listeners notice the rush.
The surest number is your own: read a 150-word paragraph aloud with a timer, then set that as the custom pace above.
Should you use this converter or the script length calculator?
Use this page when you only have numbers: a word limit, a time slot, an essay to turn into a talk. Use the script length calculator when you have the script and want to paste it in and time it. Making a product video? See the explainer video guide for length and structure, or how to make a launch video.