How long will my speech take to say?
Paste your speech or type a word count. Most people speak about 110–150 words a minute when talking to a room — slower than reading in your head.
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Estimate your time
0 words
- Relaxed (with pauses) · 110 wpm0 s
- Average conversational · 130 wpm0 s
- Brisk · 150 wpm0 s
Typical wedding speech lengths
General guidance — your venue, the number of speakers and the couple's wishes matter more.
| Speech | Minutes | ≈ words at 130 wpm |
|---|---|---|
| Personal vows | 1–2 | 130–260 |
| Best man or maid of honor | 3–5 | 390–650 |
| Parent of the couple | 3–5 | 390–650 |
| Rehearsal dinner welcome | 2–4 | 260–520 |
| Couple's thank-you | 2–4 | 260–520 |
| Officiant ceremony (full) | 15–25 | 1950–3250 |
Why your real time runs longer
Laughter, applause, raising a glass and the pauses you need to steady your voice all add time. Plan for about 10–20% more than the estimate, and rehearse out loud with a timer at least twice.
Related reading
- Rehearsal dinner speech guideWrite a rehearsal dinner welcome speech that sets a warm tone for the weekend:
- Father of the Bride Speech WritingCreate a personal father of the bride speech that welcomes, remembers and celebrates.
- Couple's thank-you speech guideWrite the couple's wedding thank-you speech:
Want a speech written to the right length?
ToastGiver writes wedding vows, toasts and speeches from your own stories, one simple question at a time. You see a free personalized preview first, then choose Complete ($349) or Plus ($499) only if you want the full piece.
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