What it's for
Unlike our reading time calculator (which estimates how long someone takes to silently read a text on screen), this tool estimates how long it takes to speak that same text out loud — useful for speeches, presentations, videos, podcasts, lessons and voiceovers, where speaking pace is slower and less even than silent reading pace.
How the calculation works
The tool counts the words in your text and divides by the chosen speaking pace (slow/normal/fast), in words per minute.
Where the pace values come from
The values used (roughly 110 wpm slow, 140 normal, 170 fast) are based on research into presentation and public-speaking pace — not casual conversation, which tends to be faster. For example, analyses of TED Talks found an average of about 173 words per minute (ranging from 154 to 201), while presentation guides commonly recommend 100-150 wpm for a comfortable, easy-to-follow pace. Because the available research on speaking pace is mostly English-language, we apply the same benchmark to Portuguese and Spanish — a reasonable estimate, not a language-specific study.
Why offer a pace selector
A single fixed speed would be unreliable, since speaking pace varies a lot between people and contexts (a classroom lecture tends to be slower than a sales pitch, for example). That's why the tool lets you pick between three paces instead of relying on one number.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the reading time calculator?
The reading time calculator estimates how long it takes to silently read a text on screen. This one estimates how long it takes to speak that same text out loud, which is slower since speech involves articulation, pauses and breathing.
Where do the words-per-minute numbers come from?
From research on presentation and public-speaking pace (not casual conversation), including analyses of TED Talks (avg. ~173 wpm) and presentation guides recommending 100-150 wpm for a comfortable pace.
Are the values different for English, Portuguese and Spanish?
We use the same benchmark values for all three languages, since the available research on presentation speaking pace is mostly English-language and we did not find equivalent studies specific to Portuguese or Spanish.
Does this account for pauses and breathing?
Not directly — the calculation is a simple words-per-minute average. Speeches with many dramatic pauses or moments of silence will take longer than the estimate.