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How long is a 1,200-word speech?

A 1,200-word speech takes 8 min 17 s at a typical presentation pace of 145 words per minute.

By the Ace Coach team, built with the best speech coaches · Updated · How we write

Time at different paces

PaceRateTime
Slow120 wpm10 min
Lecture145 wpm8 min 17 s
TED talk169 wpm7 min 6 s

Paces come from measured averages: about 145 words per minute in university lectures and 169 in TED talks (Wingrove, 2017).

What fits in this length

An eight-minute presentation or a short keynote opener.

Give each section a one-line headline in your notes. If you lose your place, the headline gets you back.

Check your own pace

Everyone's pace is different, and most people speed up when they're nervous. Time yourself reading one paragraph of your script out loud, or use how fast do I talk for a 60-second test. Then plug your number into the speech time calculator.

Other lengths

Rehearse it out loud.

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