Teleprompter / Free tools / Words in a 3-minute script
Words in a 3-minute script
About 360 to 540 words. At a measured 120 words a minute it is 360 words; at a piece-to-camera 140 it is 420; at a fast 180 it is 540. For a three-minute talk to a room, plan on 380 to 420.
On this page
Words by pace
| Kind of read | Sample pace (words a minute) | Words in 3 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | 120 | 360 |
| Self-tape | 130 | 390 |
| Piece to camera | 140 | 420 |
| Voiceover | 150 | 450 |
| Commercial read | 165 | 495 |
| Fast read | 180 | 540 |
These are sample paces: our own starting points for each kind of read, and no study measured them as averages. Your pace is your own, and the reading pace test gives it to you in a minute. Then the budget is your pace × 3.
What usually runs three minutes
| Job | Words to aim for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A competition or award speech | 360 to 400 | Judged on delivery as well as words, so it needs pauses |
| A piece to camera for news or a brand | 400 to 440 | Conversational, with a stand-up open and close |
| A short talk or pitch | 380 to 420 | Three points, one idea |
| A podcast or radio segment intro | 420 to 480 | Read briskly |
How three minutes divides
| Part | Time | Words at 140 a minute |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 0 to 20 s | About 47 |
| Three points | 20 to 160 s | About 327, about 109 each |
| Close | 160 to 180 s | About 47 |
Three points of about 45 seconds each is the classic shape, and it is why three minutes suits a single idea told well.
Check yours
Paste it into the script timer. If the speech has a hard limit, write to 90 percent of it: a three-minute limit means a script of about two minutes and forty seconds at your pace.
Reading three minutes
- Mark each point as a cue. Next cue takes you to the next point, from the screen, a pedal, a clicker or the Watch.
- Use timed mode for a hard limit. In Cutvey Teleprompter, timed mode fits the rest of the script into the seconds you give it, and the DRIFT clock says whether you are early or late.
- Rehearse the transitions. The sentence that moves you from one point to the next is where most readers stumble.
- Look at the room on the close. Say the last line to them; you know it by now.
Other lengths
30 seconds · 1 minute · 2 minutes · 5 minutes · 10 minutes
Speaking rate, explained · All free tools
Questions people ask
How long is a 500-word speech?
About 3 minutes 20 seconds at 150 words a minute, 3 minutes 34 at 140 and just over 4 minutes at 120.
How many words is a 3-minute speech for a competition?
About 360 to 400, so it lands inside the limit with room to pause.
How do I keep a three-minute talk on time?
Mark each point as a cue and use timed mode in Cutvey Teleprompter: DRIFT tells you if you are early or late.