Mind

How fast does the average person speak?

~140 WPM

Natural conversational speech averages 120–180 words per minute, with a mean around 140 WPM. TED speakers average 163 WPM. Auctioneers can reach 250+ WPM. Podcasters typically aim for 150–160 WPM for optimal comprehension.

Source: Tauroza & Allison (1990); Pellegrino et al. (2011)

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