How many minutes is 1,000 words of speech?

At 150 WPM it is about 6 minutes 40 seconds. At 200 WPM it is five minutes. At 238 silent-reading WPM it is about 4 minutes 10 seconds. Pick the pace that matches the job.

Can I use 500, 700, 1,500 or 2,000 words?

Yes. Enter any nonnegative whole word count within the browser’s safe numeric range. The same division works for every length; no separate page is needed for each number.

Can this predict the final duration of a video?

It estimates the time spent speaking the supplied words. Music, footage without speech, pauses, animation and transitions are not inferred from a word count. Add those separately and verify a rehearsal.

Words to Minutes Calculator

This page opens Word count with speaking time as the headline. Enter the total instead of pasting a script, then set Speaking WPM or Reading WPM to the pace you need. Both estimates stay visible. The calculation is words divided by words per minute, with duration rounded to ten seconds.

Word count

Enter the total directly; no sample text is needed.

Speaking time150 WPM

6 min 40 secto read aloud

4 min 10 secSilent reading at 238 WPM

Supplied word count

Silent-reading speed

Reading WPM

Speaking WPM

Headline

Speaking time: 6 min 40 sec

Reading time: 4 min 10 sec

Status: Estimate

Assumptions. Word counts are exact. Reading time is the count divided by the speed you choose, and the speed is the estimate; the 238 words a minute default is the measured adult average for silent reading. The reading-ease score uses a syllable estimate and is approximate. Speaking defaults to 150 WPM and can be changed. Durations round to ten seconds; pauses, performance and comprehension can change actual time.

The same length at different reading speeds

Speed	WPM	Reading time	Use
Slow	150	6 min 40 sec	A careful read of unfamiliar or technical material, and about the pace of speech.
Average	238	4 min 10 sec	Adult silent reading of English non-fiction, measured across 190 studies.
Fast	300	3 min 20 sec	A confident reader on familiar material.
Skim	450	2 min 10 sec	Reading for the gist rather than reading every word.

Reading, speaking and page estimates

An article or chapter uses the silent-reading pace; a speech, voice-over or read-aloud script uses the speaking pace. For a known word count use Word count. For a reading assignment use Page count and enter your own average words per page. For a five-minute talk use Target minutes: at 150 WPM the budget is 750 words before pauses. A named book is not looked up automatically, and the tool does not run a timer or measure your reading speed.

Local calculation. Pasted text is processed in this browser with no fixed input-size ceiling. Browser memory and processing time are the practical limits. Drafts up to 50,000 characters and selected settings can be remembered here. Longer text is calculated in full but omitted from storage.

Common questions

How many minutes is 1,000 words of speech?: At 150 WPM it is about 6 minutes 40 seconds. At 200 WPM it is five minutes. At 238 silent-reading WPM it is about 4 minutes 10 seconds. Pick the pace that matches the job.
Can I use 500, 700, 1,500 or 2,000 words?: Yes. Enter any nonnegative whole word count within the browser’s safe numeric range. The same division works for every length; no separate page is needed for each number.
Can this predict the final duration of a video?: It estimates the time spent speaking the supplied words. Music, footage without speech, pauses, animation and transitions are not inferred from a word count. Add those separately and verify a rehearsal.

Word counts are exact. Reading time is the count divided by the speed you choose, and the speed is the estimate; the 238 words a minute default is the measured adult average for silent reading. The reading-ease score uses a syllable estimate and is approximate.