How Many Words Are There in a 10 Minute Speech?

If you're required to prepare a speech, you may wonder how many words it will be. However, it will be difficult to give a specific number because the number of words spoken in a speech depends heavily on the speaking speed of the speaker. Speakers with higher speed need more words per minute.

However, there are recommended word counts per minute of speech to help any listener absorb the full information. 100 to 200 words per minute is considered ideal. Therefore, there are between 1000 and 2000 words in a 10-minute speech.

To be more precise about how many words you need for your 10-minute speech, you can pre-write a piece of speech and then turn on a stopwatch. This helps you determine with relative accuracy with your speaking speed and how many words per minute you will need.

But, consider the possibility that you may be nervous during your speech, which may slow or increase your speaking speed. Preparing more words for a 10-minute speech is necessary in that case.

Although speaking speed determines the number of words in a speech, if you need a basic estimate, the average speed of 150 ought to be used.

Word Counts for a Speech

Taking 150 words per minute is a basic estimate, we have the following list of word counts for a speech.

• 150 words in a 1-minute speech.
• 300 words in a 2-minute speech.
• 450 words in a 3-minute speech.
• 600 words in a 4-minute speech.
• 750 words in a 5-minute speech.
• 900 words in a 6-minute speech.
• 1,200 words in an 8-minute speech.
• 1,500 words in a 10-minute speech.
• 3,000 words in a 20-minute speech.
• 4,500 words in a 30-minute speech.
• 9,000 words in a 1-hour speech.