Speech timer with timing lights
Set the shortest and longest your speech may run, press Start, and the timer turns green at the minimum, yellow halfway to the limit and red when time is up, the way speech clubs signal a speaker. Free, full screen, nothing to install.
0:00
Not yet
7:00 to the limit
How the timing lights work
Speech clubs time every speaker against a minimum and a maximum, and show the time with three coloured signals rather than a clock, so the speaker can glance at a colour mid-sentence instead of reading numbers. This timer follows the same convention:
- Green at the minimum. You have said enough; you can finish whenever the speech is ready to end.
- Yellow halfway between the minimum and the maximum. Start your conclusion.
- Red at the maximum. Finish the sentence and sit down. Past red, the remaining time counts below zero.
Timing lights for common speeches
| Speech | Green | Yellow | Red | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator pitch | 1:00 | 1:15 | 1:30 | 150–225 |
| Table topics | 1:00 | 1:30 | 2:00 | 150–300 |
| Evaluation | 2:00 | 2:30 | 3:00 | 300–450 |
| Icebreaker | 4:00 | 5:00 | 6:00 | 600–900 |
| Prepared speech | 5:00 | 6:00 | 7:00 | 750–1,050 |
| Longer talk | 8:00 | 9:00 | 10:00 | 1,200–1,500 |
Your own club or event may set different limits; type them into the minimum and maximum and the yellow light moves to their midpoint. For any length not listed, the speech length calculator turns minutes into words and words into minutes, and how many words is a 2, 3 or 5-minute speech has the full table.
Timing a practice run
Run the whole speech against the timer at least twice before the day. The first run tells you whether the script fits; a speech that reaches red in practice runs longer on stage, where pauses for reactions add time nobody wrote down. Aim to see green with a little room to spare, then trim until the second run lands between yellow and red. How to practice a speech sets out a five-run routine, and the timer is the measuring tape for it.
Using it for a room
Full screen fills the display with the time and the colour, so a timekeeper can put a laptop, tablet or TV where the speaker can see it from the front. Space starts and pauses it when the page has focus. On a phone, keep the screen awake while it runs.
If you will read the speech
A timer tells you when to stop; a teleprompter helps you get there without losing your place. The free online teleprompter scrolls a script at a set number of words a minute on a laptop, and the Orate app does the same under your phone's front camera while it records, for a video version of the speech.
Questions people ask
When do the green, yellow and red lights come on?
Green at your minimum time, yellow halfway between the minimum and the maximum, and red at the maximum. For a 5–7 minute speech that is green at 5:00, yellow at 6:00 and red at 7:00.
How many words is a 5–7 minute speech?
About 750 to 1,050 words in English at a natural 150 words a minute. Aim nearer the bottom of that range: pauses and reactions add time you did not write down.
Can I use it full screen, for a room to see?
Yes. Full screen fills the display with the time and the colour, so a speaker can read it from across a room on a laptop, tablet or TV.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in any current mobile browser. Keep the screen awake while it runs, and lay the phone where the speaker can see it.
Record the speech once it fits
Orate scrolls your script right under the front camera while it records, at a speed set in words a minute. Free, no account, no watermark.
Get Orate for iPhone or Android