How Many Words Do I Need?
Start from the clock, not the blank page. Enter your slot below — or check the table — to find the word count that fills it at your speaking pace.
Got a fixed slot — a 10-minute talk, a 3-minute video, a 20-minute sermon? Enter the time and we will tell you how many words to write for it.
Words to write for speaking
- Slow · 100 wpm
- 1,000 words
- Average · 130 wpm
- 1,300 words
- Fast · 160 wpm
- 1,600 words
Words for silent reading
- Slow · 180 wpm
- 1,800 words
- Average · 238 wpm
- 2,380 words
- Fast · 300 wpm
- 3,000 words
Planning a spoken slot? Write to the average number, then rehearse out loud — real delivery with pauses almost always runs longer than silent reading suggests. Full table: how many words for 1–90 minutes.
Minutes → words for speaking
| Speaking time | Slow · 100 wpm | Average · 130 wpm | Fast · 160 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 min | 100 | 130 | 160 |
| 2 min | 200 | 260 | 320 |
| 3 min | 300 | 390 | 480 |
| 5 min | 500 | 650 | 800 |
| 10 min | 1,000 | 1,300 | 1,600 |
| 15 min | 1,500 | 1,950 | 2,400 |
| 20 min | 2,000 | 2,600 | 3,200 |
| 30 min | 3,000 | 3,900 | 4,800 |
| 45 min | 4,500 | 5,850 | 7,200 |
| 60 min | 6,000 | 7,800 | 9,600 |
| 90 min | 9,000 | 11,700 | 14,400 |
Aim slightly short — on purpose
Live delivery almost always expands: pauses, emphasis, laughter, a slide that will not advance. Professional speakers quietly target about 90% of the slot with the script itself. If your slot is 20 minutes, write for about 18 — roughly 2,340 words at an average pace — and let the delivery breathe. A talk that ends two minutes early is praised; one that is cut off mid-sentence is remembered for the wrong reason.
For reading instead of speaking (essays with a time limit, timed exam passages), the calculator's reverse mode also shows silent-reading counts at 180/238/300 wpm.