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How many words is a 20-minute speech?
A 20-minute speech is about 2,600 to 3,000 words, or 10.4 to 12 double-spaced pages.
Work it out
words, at 130 to 150 words a minute
- At 140 words a minute
- 2,800 words
- Script pages, double-spaced
- 10.4–12
- Pages, single-spaced, Arial 12 pt
- 5.2–6
- Reading it silently
- 12 min
- Paragraphs
- 13–30
Write it in the word counter with a limit of 3,000 words.
Open the word counterWords for 20-minute speech at different speeds
| Pace | Words | Double-spaced pages |
|---|---|---|
| Measured, 130 words a minute | 2,600 | 10.4 |
| Typical, 140 words a minute | 2,800 | 11.2 |
| Conversational, 150 words a minute | 3,000 | 12 |
Estimates for US Letter or A4 with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins and ordinary paragraphs; reading at 238 words a minute, speaking at 130 to 150.
Twenty minutes
A full conference talk, a keynote at a smaller event, a guest lecture, or a sermon. Guy Kawasaki’s often-quoted 10/20/30 rule for pitches is built around it: ten slides, twenty minutes, and no font smaller than 30 points.
Twenty minutes is also close to the 18-minute limit of a TED talk, which TED chose because it is long enough to be serious and short enough to hold attention.
Structure
| Part | Time | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Opening story and the point | 2 minutes | 280 |
| Four sections | 4 minutes each | 560 each |
| Close and call to action | 2 minutes | 280 |
Questions and answers
How many words is a 20-minute speech?
About 2,600 to 3,000 words.
How many pages is a 20-minute speech?
About 10.4 to 12 double-spaced pages.
How many slides for a 20-minute talk?
Ten is Kawasaki’s rule for a pitch; teaching talks often use 15 to 25. What matters is that you are not reading them.