Speech Time Calculator | How Long Will Your Script Take to Read Aloud?
Paste your script and instantly see how long it takes to read aloud at slow, normal, and fast speaking rates. English is timed in words per minute (110/130/150 wpm), Japanese in characters per minute, and mixed-language scripts are handled automatically. Perfect for rehearsing speeches, presentations, and narration. Your text is processed entirely in your browser and never sent anywhere.
Your script is processed entirely in your browser and never sent anywhere.
Results
- Japanese characters (no spaces)
- 0
- English words
- 0
Estimated speaking time
- Slow
- Normal
- Fast
Your script is very long, so only the first 200,000 characters are included in the calculation.
How long should your script be?
Estimates at the normal speaking rate (300 chars/min (Japanese), 130 wpm).
| Target time | Japanese characters | English words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 min | 300 chars | 130 words |
| 3 min | 900 chars | 390 words |
| 5 min | 1,500 chars | 650 words |
How to use
- Paste or type your speech or presentation script into the text box.
- The word count and the estimated speaking time at slow, normal, and fast rates appear instantly — no button to press.
- If you have a fixed time slot, use the "How long should your script be?" table to see roughly how many words to write.
How it works
How the time is calculated
- Speaking time (seconds) = Japanese characters ÷ chars-per-minute rate × 60 + English words ÷ wpm rate × 60
- Fractions of a second are rounded up, so the estimate errs slightly on the long side — safer when you have a fixed time slot
Where the speaking rates come from
English (words per minute, wpm):
- Slow: 110 wpm / Normal: 130 wpm / Fast: 150 wpm
- These are the same three presets used by the long-standing Speech in Minutes calculator. The average conversational rate for US English speakers is about 150 wpm (National Center for Voice and Speech), and 100–150 wpm is widely recommended as a comfortable range for presentations
Japanese (characters per minute):
- Slow: 250 / Normal: 300 / Fast: 350 characters per minute
- The normal rate of 300 characters per minute is the standard used by NHK (Japan's public broadcaster) announcers; the slow and fast bands follow the guidance of Japanese speech-training schools
How characters and words are counted
- English: each run of Latin letters and digits counts as one word. Words joined by apostrophes or hyphens (don't, well-known) count as one word. Punctuation-only tokens (— or ...) are not counted
- Japanese: each CJK character — hiragana, katakana, kanji, and Japanese punctuation — counts as one character. Spaces, line breaks, and tabs are not counted. Full-width alphanumerics (ＡＢＣ１２３) are counted on the Japanese side
- Emoji and other symbols are not treated as spoken content and do not add time
Mixed Japanese and English scripts
There is no language switch. CJK characters are timed at the chars-per-minute rate and Latin words at the wpm rate, and the two are added together. A script in only one language automatically reduces to a single-language calculation.
A note on accuracy
Real delivery time varies with pauses, emphasis, and nerves. Treat the result as an estimate, and time yourself with a stopwatch before the real thing.
FAQ
How many words per minute should I speak in a presentation?
Around 130 words per minute (wpm) is a comfortable standard for speeches and presentations. Use about 110 wpm for a slow, deliberate delivery and up to about 150 wpm for a brisk pace. The average conversational rate for US English speakers is about 150 wpm, so 130 wpm gives your audience a little extra room to follow along.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?
At the normal rate of 130 wpm, a 5-minute speech is about 650 words. A 1-minute speech is about 130 words, a 3-minute speech about 390 words. If you speak slowly (110 wpm), plan for about 550 words in 5 minutes; at a fast pace (150 wpm), about 750 words.
Is my script sent anywhere?
No. The entire calculation runs inside your browser and no text is ever transmitted to a server. Confidential presentation scripts and unpublished speeches are safe to paste.
Can it handle a script that mixes English and Japanese?
Yes. There is no language selector: Latin-script words are timed at the English wpm rate, CJK characters at the Japanese chars-per-minute rate, and the two times are added together. Languages other than English and Japanese are not supported (Chinese characters, for example, would be timed at the Japanese rate).
Will my actual speech take exactly the time shown?
Treat it as an estimate. Real delivery varies with pauses, emphasis, audience reaction, and nerves. The tool rounds fractions of a second up so the estimate runs slightly long, but we recommend reading your script aloud with a stopwatch at least once before the real event.
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