How to speak slower
To speak slower, first measure how fast you actually talk, then pause at every full stop, use shorter sentences, and practise reading at a set pace of about 130–140 words per minute. Pauses do most of the work: you don't have to say each word slowly, you have to stop between ideas.
Step 1: find out how fast you really talk
People who think they talk too fast are often right, but not always, and "slow down" is hard to act on without a number. Take the freespeaking speed test: read a 150-word passage out loud, or talk for 60 seconds about anything, and it shows your words per minute and how many filler words you used. It runs in your browser and takes about a minute.
Do it twice, once reading and once talking freely, and see which is faster for you.
What counts as fast?
| Reference point | Words per minute | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average for US English speakers | about 150 | National Center for Voice and Speech |
| Telephone conversation (2,438 US calls) | 196 on average (111–291 across calls) | Yuan, Liberman & Cieri, Interspeech 2006 |
| "Most effective" speaking rate | 120–160 | Toastmasters magazine (practitioner guidance) |
So relaxed conversation is quick, and that's fine: people can interrupt and ask. Presenting, interviewing or speaking on a video call is different: listeners can't stop you, audio lags, and they're taking in new ideas. That's why a comfortable target for those situations is lower, around 130–150 words per minute. Our tools use 140 as the average.
If your test shows 170 or more when presenting, the drills below will help. If you're at 140 and still feel rushed, the fix is probably pauses, not pace.
Why you talk fast
- Nerves. Adrenaline speeds up breathing and speech, and many speakers feel it most at the start.
- Too much material. If the talk doesn't fit the slot, you rush to finish it.
- Knowing it too well. When you've said something many times, you stop leaving room for listeners to take it in.
- Long sentences. You speed up to reach the end before you run out of breath.
- Habit. Some people simply talk quickly in everyday life and carry it into presentations.
7 drills to slow down
- Breathe at every full stop. Read a paragraph and take a small breath at each full stop before the next sentence. This one habit adds natural pauses and lowers your words per minute without making each word sound slow.
- Pause after key points. After an important sentence, stay silent for about two seconds. It feels long to you; to listeners it sounds deliberate. Mark these pauses in your notes with a slash (/) or a line break.
- Write shorter sentences. If you speak from a script, split long sentences in two. Short sentences give you more places to breathe and pause. See our practice scripts for examples written for speaking.
- Land the last word. Finish each sentence fully, with your voice going down, before starting the next. Fast talkers tend to run sentences together.
- Stress the words that matter. Slow down on names, numbers and the key word in each sentence. Slowing the important words makes the whole talk feel calmer and clearer.
- Read along at a set pace. Paste a script into our free online teleprompter, press Play and set the speed to 130 words per minute with − and +. Read along for a few minutes a day. The text sets the rhythm, so you learn what the target pace feels like.
- Cut, don't rush. Time your talk with the speech time calculator at 140 words per minute. If it's too long for the slot, remove content. A 5-minute slot holds about 700 words at that pace.
Slowing down on video calls and in interviews
- Plan your first sentence. A short, rehearsed first line followed by a pause sets the pace for the rest.
- Answer, then stop. In interviews, give the answer, add one example, and stop. Rushing often comes from not knowing how to finish.
- Allow for lag. On Zoom, Meet and Teams, audio can arrive a moment late. Pausing at the end of a point gives others a chance to come in.
- Keep notes short and close to the camera. Reading long notes speeds you up. A few bullet points under the webcam keep you calm and keep eye contact (how to make eye contact on video calls).
Re-test after a week
Practise one or two drills for a few minutes a day, then take the speaking speed test again with the same passage. Compare your words per minute and your filler words. If the number dropped but you still feel rushed, add more pauses; if it hasn't moved, go back to reading along with the teleprompter at a set pace.
Frequently asked questions
How many words per minute is too fast?
For a presentation, interview or video call, much above 160 words per minute usually feels rushed to listeners. Toastmasters magazine puts the most effective rate at 120 to 160 words per minute. Casual conversation runs faster: a study of 2,438 US phone calls measured an average of 196 words per minute.
What is a normal speaking rate?
The National Center for Voice and Speech gives about 150 words per minute as the average for US English speakers. Presentations tend to run slower than that, and relaxed conversation faster.
Why do I talk so fast?
Common reasons are nerves (adrenaline speeds everything up), knowing the material so well you stop pausing, trying to fit too much into the time, and habit. Speaking fast isn't a problem in itself; it becomes one when listeners can't keep up or you skip pauses.
Can you train yourself to speak slower?
Yes. Pace responds well to practice: measure it, practise reading at a target speed for a few minutes a day, and re-measure after a week. Pausing at full stops is usually the quickest change.
How do I slow down when I am nervous?
Breathe out slowly before you start, make your first sentence short, and pause after it. Plan your first and last lines word for word, since that's where nerves speed you up most.
How do I measure my speaking speed?
Read a passage with a known word count and time it, then divide the words by the minutes. Our free speaking speed test does it for you: read a 150-word passage or talk for 60 seconds and it shows your words per minute and filler words.