Speech length
How Many Words Is a 20-Minute Speech? About 3,000 words.
At an average speaking pace of 150 words per minute, a 20-minute speech is about 3,000 words. If you speak slowly it's closer to 2,400, and if you talk quickly, closer to 3,400. Set your own pace below to get your number.
You can fit about
3,000 words
20 min at 150 words per minute
- Deliberate · 120
- 2,400 words
- Average · 150
- 3,000 words
- Brisk · 170
- 3,400 words
Measure your pace
Read this out loud, the way you'd speak to a room.
Most people have no idea how fast they talk. We hear our own voice from the inside, so a pace that feels calm to us can sound rushed to everyone else, and a pause that feels endless usually lasts about a second. That is why timing a speech in your head almost never works. The only reliable way is to read the words out loud at the speed you would use in front of a real audience, and let a clock do the counting. So read this paragraph the way you would speak to a room, not the way you would read a message on your phone. Breathe where it feels natural. Don't race to the end, and don't slow down on purpose either. When you reach the last word, stop the timer, and you will have a number you can actually plan with.
144 words. Nothing is recorded: this only times you.
Press Start, read the passage aloud at your normal speaking speed, and press Done on the last word.
Words in a 20-minute speech, by pace
| Pace | Words per minute | Words in 20 min |
|---|---|---|
| Deliberate | 120 | 2,400 |
| Average | 150 | 3,000 |
| Brisk | 170 | 3,400 |
Word counts are rounded to the nearest 10. The average comes from the National Center for Voice and Speech, which puts conversational American English at about 150 words per minute. A prepared speech with pauses usually runs a little slower.
How many pages is a 20-minute speech?
About 12 pages double-spaced, or 6 pages single-spaced. That assumes a 12-point font with 1-inch margins, which fits about 250 words on a double-spaced page and 500 on a single-spaced one. Page counts change with the font and layout, so if you have a strict time limit, go by words.
What a 20-minute speech is used for
Twenty minutes is a standard conference talk, a webinar section or a sermon. At this length, most audiences need a change of pace every few minutes: a story, a question or a demo.
Planning 3,000 words
A rough split that works for most speeches of this length, at the average pace:
- Opening, about 450 words. Who you are, why this matters, and what you're going to say.
- Body, about 2,250 words. Your points, each with an example or a story.
- Close, about 300 words. The one thing you want people to remember, said plainly.
If the limit is strict, write about 2,700 words instead. Pauses, laughter and nerves all add time that isn't in your word count. Then read it out loud once and time it: your own pace beats any average. For more on pace, see how fast you should speak on camera.
Keep to time while you read it
If you read your speech from a teleprompter, it can keep time for you. Avocado, a free teleprompter for Mac, shows your script right under the camera and the time left while you read. You set the scroll speed in words per minute, and with Avocado Pro it follows your voice instead, so it pauses when you pause. See how to read a teleprompter without looking like you're reading.
Frequently asked questions
About 3,000 words at an average pace of 150 words per minute. A deliberate speaker fits around 2,400 words in 20 minutes, and a brisk one around 3,400.
About 12 pages double-spaced, or 6 pages single-spaced, in a 12-point font with 1-inch margins. Pages vary with font and formatting, so count words instead when the timing matters.
About 20 min at 150 words per minute. At a deliberate 120 it takes about 25 min, and at a brisk 170 about 17 min 39 sec.
Aim for about 2,700 words, 10% under the average. Pauses, audience reactions and nerves all add time, and finishing a little early is always better than being cut off.
Read it at your pace, right under the lens.
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