Speech length
How many words is a 1-minute speech?
About 130 to 160 words at an average pace. That's about ten short sentences, enough for an elevator pitch or a quick introduction.
Speaking time
Paste your speech to see how long it takes to say.
1:00 is about 150 words at an average pace.
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Words in a 1-minute speech at each pace
At 150 words a minute, 1 minute is 150 words. Nerves speed most people up; a big room or a serious subject slows them down.
| Pace | Words a minute | Words in 1 minute | Pages | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slow | 110 | 110 | under ½ double-spaced, under ½ single-spaced | About 1 |
| Average | 150 | 150 | ½ double-spaced, under ½ single-spaced | About 1 |
| Fast | 180 | 180 | ½ double-spaced, under ½ single-spaced | About 2 |
What fits in one minute
One minute is about 150 words at an average pace, roughly ten sentences of fifteen words. On paper that's half a double-spaced page. It's room for one idea, said well, and not much else.
That makes it the right length for an elevator pitch, introducing yourself at a networking event or at the start of a meeting, a quick toast, or the opening of a video where you say who you are and what's coming. If you have two ideas, you have a two-minute speech.
Writing a 1-minute pitch that fits
Write to 130 words, the low end of the range, not 160. A pause after the hook and a breath before the ask take a few seconds each, and those pauses are what make a short pitch sound sure of itself rather than rushed.
Read it aloud with the timer running. If it runs over, cut a whole sentence rather than speeding up; a pitch said quickly sounds like a pitch you don't believe in. Learn the first and last lines by heart and let the middle stay loose.
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Last checked 2 October 2026
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