Speaking Time Calculator

How to use

1. 1Pick a mode: Text to speaking time, or Time to word count.
2. 2Choose a pace preset (Slow, Conversational, Standard speech, Radio / podcast, Fast, or Auctioneer) or switch to Custom and enter your own words per minute.
3. 3Paste your speech, or set hours, minutes, and seconds for your target time using the quick presets if helpful.
4. 4Optionally adjust the words per slide for slide-count and per-slide timing estimates.
5. 5Read the speaking time, silent reading time, word and sentence counts, and per-pace comparison table, then Copy summary to share or save.

About this tool

Speaking Time Calculator answers two related questions at once. Paste a script and it shows how long the speech takes to read aloud at the pace you choose. Set a target time and it shows how many words you need to fill it. Both directions use the same arithmetic that broadcasters, public-speaking coaches, and voiceover artists rely on: speaking time equals words divided by words-per-minute. Six built-in paces cover the range most people work in, from a slow ceremonial 100 wpm through a conversational 130, a standard speech 150, a radio and podcast 160, an animated 180, and an auctioneer-class 250 wpm. A custom pace lets you dial in any value from 30 to 500 wpm, which is useful for non-native delivery, technical narration, or accessibility audiences who need a slower tempo. The result panel shows the speaking time as a clock value and as a natural human-readable duration, the silent reading time at 225 wpm (the rate cited in most reading-time tools) so you can see the gap between reading and speaking, the word and sentence counts of the input, and a slide-count estimate using a configurable words-per-slide value. In the reverse direction the tool also shows a comparison table of how many words would fit your target time at every other preset pace, which helps when you are writing for a fixed slot like a 3-minute lightning talk, a 5-minute toast, a 10-minute sales demo, a 20-minute keynote, a 45-minute lesson, or a 60-minute sermon. The math runs locally in your browser, so the speech text you paste is never sent anywhere. Real delivery varies with pauses, applause, audience reaction, and pronunciation, so plan a 5 to 10 percent buffer on either side of the estimate.

Free to use. Works in your browser. No signup, no login.