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How many words is a 30-minute speech?
A 30-minute speech is about 3,900 to 4,500 words, or 15.6 to 18 double-spaced pages.
Work it out
words, at 130 to 150 words a minute
- At 140 words a minute
- 4,200 words
- Script pages, double-spaced
- 15.6–18
- Pages, single-spaced, Arial 12 pt
- 7.8–9
- Reading it silently
- 18 min
- Paragraphs
- 20–45
Write it in the word counter with a limit of 4,500 words.
Open the word counterWords for 30-minute speech at different speeds
| Pace | Words | Double-spaced pages |
|---|---|---|
| Measured, 130 words a minute | 3,900 | 15.6 |
| Typical, 140 words a minute | 4,200 | 16.8 |
| Conversational, 150 words a minute | 4,500 | 18 |
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.
Half an hour
A keynote, a lecture, a sermon, or a workshop introduction. Sermons vary widely: a 2019 Pew Research Center analysis of nearly 50,000 sermons from US churches found a median length of 37 minutes, with large differences between traditions.
Writing a 30-minute talk
- Outline first, words second. Six to eight sections of four to five minutes each.
- Build in interaction every ten minutes or so: a question, a show of hands, a short demo.
- Do not write 4,500 words to read aloud. Write the key passages and speak the rest from notes; it will sound better and be easier to time.
Questions and answers
How many words is a 30-minute speech?
About 3,900 to 4,500 words.
How many pages is a 30-minute speech?
About 15.6 to 18 double-spaced pages, or eight to nine single-spaced pages.
How long is the average sermon?
In Pew Research Center’s 2019 study of US churches the median was 37 minutes, about 5,000 words, but it ranged from well under 20 minutes to almost an hour depending on the tradition.