Speech Rate Calculator

Work out speech rate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Speech Rate Calculator

Speech rate counts words over total time including pauses, while articulation rate excludes them. 620 words in 4.5 minutes with 45 seconds of pausing gives 137.8 words a minute gross but 165.3 while actually speaking, with 16.7% of the time in pauses. Presentations work best at 120-150 words a minute; audiobooks are read at around 150.

Formulas

Speech rate

rate = words / total minutes

Articulation rate

rate = words / (total minutes - pause time)

Worked example

With the default values below, Speech Rate Calculator returns Speech Rate of 137.8. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Words spokenminimum 0: 620
Durationminimum 0.01 min: 4.5 min
Total pause timeminimum 0 s: 45 s

Results

Speech Rate: 137.8 words/min
Articulation Rate Excluding Pauses: 165.3 words/min
Share Of Time Spent Pausing: 16.67%
Pace Assessment: Measured - typical presentation pace

Step by step

1Values used
2Speech rate
3Articulation rate
4Speech Rate= 137.8 words/min
5Articulation Rate Excluding Pauses= 165.3 words/min
6Share Of Time Spent Pausing= 16.67
7Pace Assessment= Measured - typical presentation pace

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good presentation pace?

About 120-150 words a minute. Faster loses non-native listeners; slower risks sounding laboured.

Why measure articulation rate separately?

Because pausing is a rhetorical choice. Two speakers can articulate identically yet differ greatly in overall pace through pause length.