How it works
Speaking time is words divided by pace. The calculator counts the words in your script (anything with a letter or a number in it; dashes and bullets on their own don't count), divides by your words per minute and shows the result in minutes and seconds. With a target length, it works out how many words fill that time at your pace, and the difference is what to cut or add.
The slide suggestion uses the same rule of thumb as the slide count calculator: about a slide a minute, a little slower for long talks. For example, an 800-word script at 130 words a minute runs 6:09; to fit a 5-minute slot, cut about 150 words.
Words to minutes chart
| Words | Slow (110) | Average (130) | Fast (160) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 words | 0:55 | 0:46 | 0:38 |
| 250 words | 2:16 | 1:55 | 1:34 |
| 300 words | 2:44 | 2:18 | 1:53 |
| 500 words | 4:33 | 3:51 | 3:08 |
| 750 words | 6:49 | 5:46 | 4:41 |
| 1,000 words | 9:05 | 7:42 | 6:15 |
| 1,500 words | 13:38 | 11:32 | 9:23 |
| 2,000 words | 18:11 | 15:23 | 12:30 |
| 2,500 words | 22:44 | 19:14 | 15:38 |
| 3,000 words | 27:16 | 23:05 | 18:45 |
Questions
About 3:51 minutes at an average pace of 130 words a minute: 3:08 if you speak quickly, 4:33 if you speak slowly with pauses.
Turn this into a full deck — free
Arcdeck writes the whole storyline as action titles first, then every slide with charts and speaker notes, and exports editable PowerPoint and PDF.
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