Speech rate · words per minute
How fast do you
actually talk?
The interview sweet spot is 120–160 words per minute. Speak into your mic or read a sample aloud and we'll show you exactly where you land.
Mode
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Methodology
Why 120–160 wpm.
- 01
The believable range
Research from the University of Michigan found that listeners rate speakers between 120 and 160 words per minute as the most credible. Fast enough that you sound like you know your material, slow enough that the interviewer can keep up and take notes.
- 02
Above 160 wpm — too fast
Race through an answer and the interviewer stops processing your points. They wait for you to finish. If you naturally talk fast, the fix is one-second pauses after each main point, not slower words.
- 03
Below 120 wpm — too slow
At this pace, attention drifts. In behavioural answers especially, dragging can read as making it up on the spot. The fix is energy and cutting dead air — not speaking faster word-by-word.
- 04
Pauses are not the enemy
A one-second pause after a strong point makes you sound more confident, not less. The trick is replacing “um” and “like” with silence: finish the sentence, breathe, then start the next one.
Questions