The average US citizen (39 years old) knows close to 30,000 words and uses around 3% of the vocabulary every day. In total, people say around 16,000 words each day.
But how much time do people spend talking? While the ability to speak fast can increase the amount of information a person is able to share with other people, talking too fast can distort the information and confuse listeners. This report will focus on the average talking speed but also explore differences in required and desirable talking speed among various professions.
How fast does the average person talk?
While it’s not possible to measure the exact average speech rate, we have insights into the most common range of talking speed:
- The average person speaks at a rate of around 140 words per minute (wpm).
- Most people speak within the 110 wpm to 170 wpm range.
- A person at 140 words per minute will spend around 1 hour and 54 minutes per day talking.
- For slower speakers (110 wpm), time spent talking per day stands at around 2 hours and 25 minutes, while faster speakers (170 wpm) will spend 1 hour and 32 minutes talking.
- The average person will need around 3 hours and 33 minutes of talking in order to speak out their whole vocabulary.
| Speaker type | Talking speed (words per minute) | Time spent talking per day |
| Slow speaker | 110 w/m | 2h 25m |
| Average speaker | 140 w/m | 1h 54m |
| Fast speaker | 170 w/m | 1h 34m |
- The average female will spend around 1 hour and 56 minutes talking per day at the 140 wpm rate, compared to 1 hour and 52 minutes for the average male.
- Fast-speaking females (170 wpm) will spend around 1 hour and 35 minutes talking during the typical day, compared to 1 hour and 32 minutes for fast-speaking males.
- Slow-speaking females (110 wpm) spend 2 hours and 27 minutes talking per day, almost 1 hour longer compared to faster-speaking females.
- For male slow-talkers, the average time spent talking during the typical day stands around 2 hours and 22 minutes.
| Speaker type | Talking speed (words per minute) | Daily time spent talking – male | Daily time spent talking – female |
| Slow speaker | 110 w/m | 2h 22m | 2h 27m |
| Average speaker | 140 w/m | 1h 52m | 1h 56m |
| Fast speaker | 170 w/m | 1h 32m | 1h 35m |
Average talking speed for certain professions
- During presentations, it is recommended to speak in 100 wpm to 150 wpm range.
- Audiobook narrators usually try to talk at the average rate of 150 wpm to 160 wpm.
- The same goes for podcasters and hosts of radio shows and other radio program.
- Auctioners are famous for their fast-talking skills and can speak at the rate of around 250 words per minute.
- However, sports commentators are among the fastest-speaking professionals, going over 250 words per minute and can sometimes even reach 400 wpm talking speed.
Among celebrities and other well-known people, there are great differences in talking speed. However, most of them are able to get their point across in a clear, understandable way. Based on the speed measured during their TED talks:
- Al Gore speaks at the rate of around 133 words per minute, slightly slower compared to the average person.
- Steve Jobs talked at around 158 wpm rate, wich is around the average for English-speaking adult.
- Susan Cain speaks at the speed of 176 words per minute, which is slightly above the upper range for the average person.
- Tony Robbins, a famous life coach, speaks at the pace of 201 words per minute, significantly over the limits for the average person.
Who is the fastest-speaking person in the world?
- Sean Shannon from Canada is officially the fastest-talking person in the history of humanity. He is recorded talking at the rate of over 655 words per minute.
- Before Shannon, the fastest-speaking person was from Great Britain, with a recorded talking speed of 637 words per minute.
- John Moschitta Jr. from the United States, held the world record for the fastest-talking person in the world until 1990, with talking speed recorded at 586 words per minute.
Adding more words to a person’s vocabulary can increase the speech rate. It is especially helpful to try pronouncing long words, such as 11-letter words. Word tools like WordsRated’s Word Scramble Help can be handy to get an extensive list of words.