Average Speaking Speed in YouTube Videos
How fast do people actually speak in real YouTube videos?
This page compares speech speed measured in words per minute (WPM) across different languages and types of YouTube content.
We show two different WPM-based measures:
- Speaking speed (WPM) — overall pace, including pauses and breaks
- Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) — pace of speech during active talking, with longer pauses removed
Both are measured in words per minute (WPM).
Speaking Speed vs Speaking Speed Without Pauses (WPM)
Although both use the same unit (words per minute), they describe different experiences:
- Speaking speed (WPM) reflects how fast speech feels while watching a video
- Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) reflects how quickly words are spoken when speech is happening
For language learners, speaking speed affects comprehension, while speaking speed without pauses affects processing and pronunciation difficulty.
What This Means for Language Learners
Two videos can have a similar number of words per minute, but feel very different:
- Higher speaking speed (WPM) means less time to process information
- Higher speaking speed without pauses (WPM) means denser, faster word production
This explains why some languages or content types feel harder, even at similar WPM.
How These Numbers Are Calculated
All speech speed values are measured in words per minute (WPM) using spoken captions from YouTube videos.
For each language and category:
- Speaking speed (WPM) represents the typical overall pace, including pauses
- Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) represents the typical pace during active speech
The values shown are medians, not simple averages.
Using medians avoids distortion from unusually fast or slow videos and better reflects what viewers usually experience.
Methodology, assumptions, and limitations
How speech speed is measured
Speech speed is calculated from YouTube captions, not from raw audio.
- Words are counted using language-aware tokenization
- Time is measured using caption timestamps
- All rates are expressed in words per minute (WPM)
Two measures are reported:
- Speaking speed (WPM) — total words divided by the full caption time span
- Speech speed without pauses (WPM) — total words divided by estimated active speech time
Long pauses are estimated dynamically from caption timing.
Pause detection
Pauses are inferred from gaps between caption start times.
A pause is detected when the gap between captions exceeds:
- 2× the median caption interval, or
- 1.5 seconds, whichever is greater
This adaptive threshold helps account for differences in captioning style and timing across videos.
Key limitations and sources of bias
Caption-related
- Captions may not perfectly align with spoken audio
- Automatic captions can omit words, merge phrases, or simplify grammar
- Caption quality varies significantly across languages
- Caption timing granularity differs by channel and upload method
Measurement-related
- Speech speed is measured in words per minute (WPM), not syllables
- Word length and morphology differ across languages, affecting comparability
- Pauses are inferred from caption timing, not directly measured from audio
Content and production
- Some news and documentary videos use translated, dubbed, or scripted speech
- Speech may be intentionally paced slower or faster for clarity or emphasis
- Interviews and podcasts often include overlapping speech or interruptions
- One language can include different dialects (for example, Mexican Spanish is mixed with European Spanish)
Sampling and categorization
- YouTube channels are not representative of all speakers of a language
- Categories (news, tech, entertainment, podcasts) are broad and heterogeneous
- Some channels contribute more data than others despite balancing efforts
Interpretation
- Results reflect typical YouTube content, not everyday conversation
- Values should be interpreted comparatively, not as absolute speech rates
Data collected: January 7, 2026
Pause detection threshold: Maximum of 1.5 seconds or 2× the median interval between caption starts (whichever is greater). This dynamic threshold adapts to each video's caption timing pattern.
Sample Overview
Summary of videos and channels analyzed for each language.
| Language | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Categories | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech | 18 | 53 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| German | 16 | 46 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| English | 23 | 63 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| Spanish | 18 | 51 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| Estonian | 13 | 31 | entertainment, news, podcasts | high |
| Finnish | 34 | 99 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| French | 19 | 51 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| Italian | 15 | 41 | entertainment, news, tech | high |
| Polish | 11 | 30 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| Brazilian Portuguese | 9 | 25 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
| Russian | 14 | 34 | entertainment, news, podcasts, tech | high |
Overall Speech Speed by Language (WPM)
This comparison shows the typical number of words spoken per minute across all YouTube video categories.
Speech Speed by Language and Category (WPM)
Speech speed in words per minute varies strongly by content type.
Per-Language Breakdown
Czech
Sample: Based on 18 channels, 53 videos analyzed (from 54 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 146.8 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 151.5 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 6 | 18 | 141.5 | 150.9 |
| news | 4 | 12 | 119.7 | 120.9 |
| podcasts | 4 | 12 | 160.2 | 163.2 |
| tech | 4 | 11 | 152.0 | 152.2 |
German
Sample: Based on 16 channels, 46 videos analyzed (from 48 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 164.5 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 167.5 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 4 | 11 | 150.6 | 154.4 |
| news | 4 | 11 | 145.6 | 146.9 |
| podcasts | 4 | 12 | 178.4 | 180.6 |
| tech | 4 | 12 | 181.2 | 181.5 |
English
Sample: Based on 23 channels, 63 videos analyzed (from 66 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 171.1 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 171.5 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 5 | 14 | 154.4 | 167.8 |
| news | 6 | 14 | 169.5 | 169.5 |
| podcasts | 7 | 20 | 172.7 | 173.5 |
| tech | 5 | 15 | 200.2 | 201.0 |
Spanish
Sample: Based on 18 channels, 51 videos analyzed (from 53 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 173.5 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 176.6 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 5 | 14 | 173.5 | 178.9 |
| news | 5 | 13 | 158.2 | 161.1 |
| podcasts | 4 | 12 | 173.6 | 174.2 |
| tech | 4 | 12 | 185.5 | 185.9 |
Estonian
Sample: Based on 13 channels, 31 videos analyzed (from 38 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 141.8 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 143.3 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 5 | 14 | 126.9 | 141.1 |
| news | 4 | 7 | 141.8 | 143.3 |
| podcasts | 4 | 10 | 148.2 | 150.7 |
Finnish
Sample: Based on 34 channels, 99 videos analyzed (from 101 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 128.2 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 133.7 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 18 | 53 | 123.6 | 133.9 |
| news | 2 | 6 | 132.8 | 133.6 |
| podcasts | 6 | 17 | 145.3 | 145.8 |
| tech | 8 | 23 | 118.3 | 123.1 |
French
Sample: Based on 19 channels, 51 videos analyzed (from 55 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 194.0 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 194.3 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 7 | 19 | 192.7 | 192.8 |
| news | 3 | 8 | 125.1 | 125.1 |
| podcasts | 2 | 3 | 195.3 | 195.8 |
| tech | 7 | 21 | 204.7 | 215.9 |
Italian
Sample: Based on 15 channels, 41 videos analyzed (from 44 sampled) from entertainment, news, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 157.9 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 158.9 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 6 | 17 | 166.4 | 168.0 |
| news | 4 | 9 | 157.9 | 158.9 |
| tech | 5 | 15 | 157.7 | 157.9 |
Polish
Sample: Based on 11 channels, 30 videos analyzed (from 32 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 154.9 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 156.8 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 4 | 11 | 140.2 | 145.5 |
| news | 3 | 9 | 149.0 | 150.9 |
| podcasts | 2 | 5 | 171.9 | 172.4 |
| tech | 2 | 5 | 160.8 | 162.7 |
Brazilian Portuguese
Sample: Based on 9 channels, 25 videos analyzed (from 26 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 173.1 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 178.0 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 1 | 3 | 179.9 | 182.4 |
| news | 3 | 8 | 138.6 | 138.6 |
| podcasts | 3 | 8 | 173.8 | 177.8 |
| tech | 2 | 6 | 172.5 | 178.2 |
Russian
Sample: Based on 14 channels, 34 videos analyzed (from 42 sampled) from entertainment, news, podcasts, tech . Confidence: high
Overall (typical WPM)
- Speaking speed: 131.9 WPM
- Speaking speed without pauses: 140.3 WPM
| Category | Channels | Videos Analyzed | Speaking Speed (WPM) | Speaking speed without pauses (WPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| entertainment | 5 | 11 | 137.1 | 147.0 |
| news | 3 | 8 | 124.0 | 124.4 |
| podcasts | 2 | 6 | 152.4 | 155.0 |
| tech | 4 | 9 | 126.8 | 133.6 |
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