SPEECH LENGTH GUIDE · 1 HOUR
How many words is a 60-minute speech?
A 60-minute speech is about 7,800–9,000 words at a typical speaking pace of 130–150 words per minute.
An hour is a lecture, a full keynote or a workshop. Almost nobody talks non-stop for 60 minutes: plan 40 to 45 minutes of talk and use the rest for questions and activities.
Words in an hour, at every pace
| Pace | Words per minute | Words in 1 hour |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | 120 | 7,200 |
| Conversational | 140 | 8,400 |
| Rehearsed | 150 | 9,000 |
| Fast | 170 | 10,200 |
Typed up, that's about 31–36 pages double-spaced or 15½–18 pages single-spaced. Most people don't know their own pace. The speaking speed test finds your row in about a minute.
What a 60-minute speech is used for
- University lectureOften timetabled in 50- or 60-minute slots.
- Full keynoteA keynote with questions at the end.
- Training sessionTeaching, practice and questions in roughly equal parts.
- WebinarA longer webinar with a demo and a full question-and-answer session.
For help with the occasion itself, see presentations and talks, interviews or toasts, eulogies and other life moments.
How to structure a 60-minute speech
Five or six chapters. Here's one way to spend an hour, with rough word counts at a conversational 140 words a minute:
- Opening3 min · about 420 words
- Chapter one10 min · about 1,430 words
- Chapter two10 min · about 1,430 words
- Break, activity or questions6 min
- Chapter three10 min · about 1,430 words
- Chapter four10 min · about 1,430 words
- Questions and close10 min
Tip for this length
Schedule a reset every 10 to 15 minutes: a question to the room, a short activity or a story. Without them, an hour feels like two.
When you rehearse with a timer, check yourself at the 30-minute mark. At 140 words a minute you should be around word 4,200.
Check your own script
Set to an hour. Switch to “Paste a script” to time what you've written.
1 h is about 7,800 to 9,000 words.
For 1 h, write about
7,800–9,000 words
At a typical 130–150 words per minute. That is about 31–36 pages double-spaced.
- Slow 120 wpm7,200 wordsDeliberate delivery: ceremonies, big echoey rooms, dense material, or listeners in their second language.
- Conversational 140 wpm8,400 wordsTalking it through in your own words, with natural pauses while you think.
- Rehearsed 150 wpm9,000 wordsA script you know well. No searching for words, so it runs a little quicker.
- Fast 170 wpm10,200 wordsNerves, excitement or a squeezed slot. Easy to slip into, hard for listeners to follow for long.
Not sure which pace is yours? Read a passage aloud and time yourself. It takes about a minute.
QUESTIONS
60-minute speech questions
How many words is a 1-hour speech?
About 7,800 to 9,000 words at 130–150 words a minute. Plan for 40 to 45 minutes of actual talking, which is closer to 5,500 to 6,500 words.
How do I keep people listening for an hour?
Change the mode every 10 to 15 minutes (talk, story, example, question, activity) and tell people where you are in the hour as you go.
How many pages is a 60-minute speech?
About 31–36 pages double-spaced, or 15½–18 pages single-spaced, in 12-point type (roughly 250 and 500 words a page). Fonts and margins change this, so trust the word count over the page count.
How many words is a 60-minute speech at a slow or fast pace?
At a slow 120 words per minute, about 7,200 words. At a fast 170, about 10,200. Most people land in between; the free speaking speed test shows you where you do.
Make your 60 minutes count.
Record a minute of it and see your pace, pauses and fillers, with one fix from your coach before the real thing.
Rehearse it freeYour first Voice Snapshot is free. No account needed to try it.