How does the adjective fast contrast with its synonyms?
Some common synonyms of fast are expeditious, fleet, hasty, quick, rapid, speedy, and swift. While all these words mean «moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity,» fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves.
When can expeditious be used instead of fast?
The words expeditious and fast are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.
the expeditious handling of an order
When is it sensible to use fleet instead of fast?
While the synonyms fleet and fast are close in meaning, fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.
In what contexts can hasty take the place of fast?
Although the words hasty and fast have much in common, hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.
When would quick be a good substitute for fast?
In some situations, the words quick and fast are roughly equivalent. However, quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.
When might rapid be a better fit than fast?
The meanings of rapid and fast largely overlap; however, rapid applies to the movement itself, rather than to the thing that moves.
When is speedy a more appropriate choice than fast?
The words speedy and fast can be used in similar contexts, but speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment and may also suggest unusual velocity.
When could swift be used to replace fast?
While in some cases nearly identical to fast, swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.
returned the ball with one swift stroke
What are long a words in the English language? The long a sound has eight varieties of spelling which can make it tricky. Here you’ll learn a little about long a, the eight ways in which you can spell long a words, and see some examples for each spelling.
What are Long A Words?
A long a is the sound pronounced the way the a is said. For example, the way you say the letter a at the beginning of the alphabet is the long sound for the letter a. So, any word that makes that sound is considered a long a word.
Ways to Spell Long A Words
There are eight ways to spell long a words:
- a – table
- a-e – plane
- ai – train
- ay – today
- ei – beige
- eigh – weight
- ea – break
- ey – hey
You may notice that most of these are in vowel teams, which means that they are working with another vowel to make the long a sound. There are some reasons, rules, and tricks to use to remember the differences.
- a-e: This style has an a and e with a consonant in between. The e is silent in these long words.
- ai: You will find this long a sound either in the beginning or in the middle of a base word. Most of these words also end with the letter n, but not all the time.
- ay: This long a style will be at the end of a base word.
- ei: This pattern is not very common and doesn’t come with any rules. You’ll see some examples below.
- eigh: You will find this sound pattern at the end of some long a words.
- ea: This long a pattern is the least common way to make the long a sound. You’ll see this vowel team in the middle of long a words.
- ey: There are only ten common words that are spelled with this style.
Learn more with long vowel words English.
List of Long A Words
Here is a list of long a words in each of the eight spelling patterns
a
- Acorn
- Paper
- Baby
- Crazy
- Lady
- Basic
- Maple
- Table
- Fatal
- Potato
- Tomato
- Naval
- Radio
- Shaky
- Bacon
- Halo
a-e
- Cane
- Cake
- Lake
- Same
- Case
- Wave
- Trade
- Flake
- Space
- Cage
- Base
- Came
- Stage
- Space
- Plane
- Shade
- Tame
- Wade
ai
- Train
- Rain
- Fail
- Nail
- Daily
- Afraid
- Raisin
- Grain
- Gain
- Faint
- Trail
- Aim
- Sail
- Maid
- Paid
- Sprain
- Wait
- Waist
- Daily
ay
- Day
- Play
- Tray
- Say
- Clay
- Stay
- Pray
- May
- Spray
- Gray
- Hay
- Pay
- Bay
- Tray
- Away
- Today
- Relay
- Stray
- Yay
ei
- Beige
- Their
- Deign
- Vein
- Reign
- Heir
- Rein
- Reindeer
eigh
- Eight
- Weight
- Weigh
- Sleigh
- Freight
- Neigh
- Neighbor
ea
- Tear
- Bear
- Wear
- Swear
- Pear
- Steak
- Break
- Great
ey
- Hey
- They
- Grey
- Prey
- Obey
- Convey
- Purvey
- Survey
- Whey
- Abeyance
With having eight different ways to produce the long a sound in a word, it may be easiest to learn each sound pattern one at a time to get comfortable and familiar with them. There are several fun games and resources available that can be found online to help you learn and differentiate between these eight long a word sound patterns. The most important thing to remember in identifying a long a word is that the sound will be the same as the name of the letter a.
Long A Words | Image
Pin
Last Updated on February 26, 2023
быстрый, скорый, быстро, скоро, крепко, пост, засов, причал, поститься, голодать
прилагательное ↓
- прочный, крепкий
hard and fast rule — точный критерий 
fast grip — крепкая хватка
to take /to have/ fast hold of smth. — крепко ухватиться /держаться/ за что-л.
she kept a fast hold on her purse — она не выпускала из рук свою сумочку
- твёрдый
- прочный, прочно закреплённый или прикреплённый
fast roof — горн. устойчивая кровля
to make fast — а) закреплять, привязывать (лодку и т. п.); б) запирать
all the drawers were made fast — все ящики были заперты
movable items were made fast to the deck — все подвижные предметы были принайтовлены к палубе
a shell fast in the chamber of a gun — снаряд, застрявший в пушке
- нелиняющий, прочный (о краске)
fast to light — спец. светопрочный
- стойкий, верный
fast friend — настоящий друг
fast foe — заклятый враг
ещё 7 вариантов
наречие ↓
- прочно, крепко, твёрдо
to be fast asleep — крепко спать
the lake was frozen fast — озеро покрылось толстым слоем льда
- накрепко
he was fast bound by the feet — ему крепко связали ноги
the door was fast shut — дверь была плотно закрыта
to stick fast — безнадёжно застрять; ≅ ни с места (тж. перен.)
the car stuck fast in the mud — машина завязла в грязи
- верно, преданно
stand fast! — воен. стой!
fast by /beside/ — поэт. совсем рядом
- быстро, скоро
to run fast — бежать быстро
her tears fell fast — её слёзы закапали одна за другой
his health was breaking fast — его здоровье быстро ухудшалось
give me a cup of coffee and make it fast — дайте мне чашку кофе, да поскорей
- легкомысленно; беспутно
to live fast — прожигать /вести беспутную/ жизнь
существительное ↓
- запор, задвижка
door fast — дверной засов
window fast — оконная задвижка, шпингалет
- мор. швартов
- геол. первый твёрдый слой породы
- припай (лёд, примёрзший к берегам)
- пост
fast day, a day for a general fast — постный день
to observe the fasts and feasts of the church — соблюдать церковные посты и праздники
to break (one’s) fast — разговеться
- голодание (лечебное); строгая диета
- голодовка (заключённого и т. п.)
a clean fast is better than a dirty breakfast — ≅ лучше беднее, да честнее
глагол ↓
- поститься
- голодать, не есть
I have been fasting since breakfast — я ничего не ел с самого завтрака
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
lying fast asleep on the sofa — крепко уснув на диване
fast-food chain — сеть ресторанов быстрого обслуживания
fast hardening concrete — быстротвердеющий бетон
to observe a fast — соблюдать пост
fast and loose — непостоянный, изменчивый, ненадёжный
to sleep fast — крепко спать
to lay fast — заключать в тюрьму
at a fast pace — на большой скорости
brisk pace, fast pace, rapid pace — скорый, быстрый шаг
fast pace — скорый, быстрый шаг
he is a fast worker — он быстро работает
Примеры с переводом
I’m a fast learner.
Я быстро учусь.
My watch is fast.
Мои часы спешат.
How fast can you run?
Как быстро вы бегаете?
We are going too fast.
Мы идём слишком быстро.
He ran as fast as he could.
Он бежал так быстро, как только мог.
Before the medical exam, you must fast.
Перед медосмотром необходимо воздержаться от пищи.
They held fast to their beliefs.
Они твёрдо держались своих убеждений.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
It grew alarmingly fast 
I bashed out replies as fast as I could.
Despite his bulk, he’s a very fast runner.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
fasten — скрепить, закреплять, прикреплять, прикрепляться, застегиваться, застегивать
fasting — пост, натощак, постящийся
fastness — стойкость, прочность, крепость, цитадель, оплот, твердыня
faster — быстрее
fastest — быстрый, скорый, крепкий, прочный, стойкий, верный, твердый, нелиняющий, беспутный
unfast — стойкий, непрочный, легколиняющий
Формы слова
verb
I/you/we/they: fast
he/she/it: fasts
ing ф. (present participle): fasting
2-я ф. (past tense): fasted
3-я ф. (past participle): fasted
noun
ед. ч.(singular): fast
мн. ч.(plural): fasts
adjective
срав. степ. (comparative): faster
прев. степ. (superlative): fastest
There is no need for «fastly» because «fast» is both an adjective and an adverb. So, «I ran fast» is completely correct.
The existence of «fast» as an adverb does not preclude the future development of a word «fastly», but it does hinder it.
One might note that the corresponding adjective «slow» does take the -ly suffix, but this has no impact on the behavior of «fast». (There is also no real reason why, for example, we have warm/warmth, but cool/coolness. Semantically related things sometimes have similar morphological patterns, and sometimes not.)
One interesting thing worth noting (that was brought up in a comment by Jimi Oke) is that there are cases of adjectives with identical adverbs that also have an -ly form; for example, we have «right» and «wrong» as adjectives and adverbs, but we also have «rightly» and «wrongly». In such cases, the -ly form has carved out its own semantic niche; the adverb «right» and the adverb «rightly» cannot be used interchangeably in every situation. I can say «turn right» and «rightly so», but I can’t exchange them in either sentence.
With normal adjectives that cannot become adverbs without -ly, usually the -ly just transparently makes the adjective adverbial — it doesn’t have its own separate semantic nuances (e.g. «quickly» simply means «in a quick manner»).
Fill in the correct word.
• dangerous
• elephants
• leopard
• crocodile
• lion
• paws
• legs
• sharp
• fur
• wing
• wild
e.g. My cat is black with white paws.
1. Indian _ have small ears.
2. I like my dog’s soft, white _ .
3. A _ can run fast and has spots.
4. The _ is the king of the jungle.
5. _ animals don’t make good pets.
6. My parrot can’t fly. He’s got a broken _ .
7. Giraffes are very tall with long, thin _ .
8. A _ can stay under water for two hours.
9. Some snakes are _ . They can bite humans.
10. Koalas have got _ claws for climbing.
reshalka.com
Английский язык 5 класс (Test Booklet) Spotlight Английский в фокусе Ваулина. TEST 5 A (Module 5). Номер №A
Решение
Перевод задания
Вставьте правильное слово.
• опасный
• слоны
• леопард
• крокодил
• лев
• лапы
• ноги
• острый
• мех
• крыло
• дикий
например: Моя кошка черная с белыми лапками.
1. У индийских _ маленькие уши.
2. Мне нравится мягкий белый _ моей собаки.
3. _ может быстро бегать и иметь пятна.
4. _ − король джунглей.
5. _ животные не очень хорошие домашние животные.
6. Мой попугай не умеет летать. У него сломан _.
7. Жирафы очень высокие с длинными тонкими _.
8. _ может находиться под водой два часа.
9. Некоторые змеи _. Они могут укусить людей.
10. У коал есть _ когти для лазания.
ОТВЕТ
1. Indian elephants have small ears.
2. I like my dog’s soft, white fur.
3. A leopard can run fast and has spots.
4. The lion is the king of the jungle.
5. Wild animals don’t make good pets.
6. My parrot can’t fly. He’s got a broken wing.
7. Giraffes are very tall with long, thin legs.
8. A crocodile can stay under water for two hours.
9. Some snakes are dangerous. They can bite humans.
10. Koalas have got sharp claws for climbing.
Перевод ответа
1. У индийских слонов маленькие уши.
2. Мне нравится мягкий белый мех моей собаки.
3. Леопард быстро бегает и имеет пятна.
4. Лев − король джунглей.
5. Дикие животные − плохие домашние животные.
6. Мой попугай не умеет летать. У него сломано крыло.
7. Жирафы очень высокие, с длинными тонкими ногами.
8. Крокодил может находиться под водой два часа.
9. Некоторые змеи опасны. они могут укусить людей.
10. У коал есть острые когти для лазания.
-
#1
Do you have to say: Don’t write too fast or is don’t write too quickly also possible?
-
#2
nurdug51 said:
Do you have to say: Don’t write too fast or is don’t write too quickly also possible?
Hello Nurdugs51,
I would use «don’t write too quickly» in preference to «don’t write too fast». There is a grammatical explanation which I’m just going to check.
LRV
-
#3
If there’s a difference here, it’s very subtle, and either would be ok in general. «don’t write too quickly» may imply the speaker wants the writer to reflect before writing, and «don’t write too fast» might refer to the speaker’s wanting the writer to slow down his writing speed; but I think this is a little too fine a point to be important, in general.
-
#4
Virtdave has clarified far more concisely than I could. I’m sorry to say I can’t explain the grammatical difference. Perhaps there isn’t one.
Sorry,
LRV
-
#5
Maybe «fast» qualifies a movement speed, and «quickly» refers to the shortness of time?
-
#6
pieanne said:
Maybe «fast» qualifies a movement speed, and «quickly» refers to the shortness of time?
That’s very helpful Pieanne.
He was a fast runner.
Time goes quickly when you are busy.
Thanks very much.
LRV
-
#7
I sense that nuance of meaning too, but it wouldn’t always be there.
Don’t walk too fast — relates to the speed of walking.
Don’t walk too quickly — could relate to speed of walking OR could mean don’t start walking too soon.
But:
Don’t walk so fast, and
Don’t walk so quickly — both relate only to the speed of walking.
I think
-
#8
Methinks thou dost think well (as usual) Panjy.
You are a fast thinker. Your brain runs rather quickly in comparison to mine. I am a dullard on Wednesdays — it’s genetic, or something to do with the phases of the moon.
LRV
-
#9
Thanks a lot to all of you!
You have found the answer
fast
!
I would use quickly here but is fast absolutely wrong?
-
#10
I just think that BE uses «quickly» more often.
In AE «fast» is used more.
-
#11
Indeed, I would prefer quickly.
Excellent example, because it provokes me to suggest that LRV’s idea that there was a grammatical reason somewhere could be true. In this case, quickly as an adverb is great. Fast as an adverb is clunky to my ears in that particular example (and possibly to BE ears generally).
Fascinating question nordug
-
#12
Fast is an adjective. Quickly is the adverb form of this descriptive word. The 80/20 Style Guide for Professional Quality Business Writing Stephen Kunkel, Ph.D.
Do not write too quickly.
-
#13
I wonder is this almost-hidden dislike of fast something to do with the extensive use of fast as an adverb meaning much else apart from quickly?
Oh, I’ve just seen river’s post.
Fast is also an adverb — only one of its definitions overlaps with quickly.
-
#14
A possible rule of thumb: quick relates to time, whereas fast relates to speed. Virtdave might have already said this.
-
#15
I’ve heard many times the folloing kind of phrase; «come quick». In this case quick is simply used as an adverb (quickly), even WR dictionary lists it’s function as an adverb. Could this be a colloquial usage or it’s widespread in formal register too?
Would you use «quick» in nurdug’s example: don’t write too quick? To me it sounds wrong and weird but I’m not a native.
-
#16
river said:
A possible rule of thumb: quick relates to time, whereas fast relates to speed. Virtdave might have already said this.
agreed. think of «being quick on one’s feet» as being able to manoeuver easily, where being fast means being able to get from one place to another in minimal time.
HOWEVER
in the context of the original query i don’t see a difference.
WR Rule #22 — Except as a topic of discussion, chatspeak and SMS style are not acceptable. Members must do their best to write using standard language forms. <<This includes using capital letters where appropriate.>>
-
#17
What about being quick off the mark?
LRV
-
#18
la reine victoria said:
What about being quick off the mark?
The best answer I can offer is a visual: the VW Beetle (older version) was renown for being very quick in 1st gear. Generally it could beat almost any car across the intersection from a standing start, but after that lagged because its engine was rather small. So, it was quick but not fast. The Kawasaki Ninja (1000cc model) motorcycle is both VERY quick and VERY fast. My Nisan Maxima is rather quick but very fast (I haven’t the courage to test the police @ 200kmh [which it will do], but it does 160 without raising a sweat).
Does this help? Again, none of this relates to the original query, but I feel is still a valid exploration of the semantics.
-
#19
Thomas1 said:
…. Would you use «quick» in nurdug’s example: don’t write too quick? To me it sounds wrong and weird but I’m not a native.
No! I would never use that phrase because to my ears that would make me sound badly educated… it wouldn’t fit with my use of language. However, I’m not sure that I can come up with any ‘correct’ grammatical reasons…
PP
-
#20
Quick is an adjective.
It appears occasionally as an adverb, but is generally considered ill-educated — although accepted in idioms such as «get-rich-quick» insofar as these idioms are accepted.
j0ckser’s beetle that is quick in first gear is using one of the very many definitions of quick (adjective), for example (OED):
Full of vigour, energy, or activity (now rare); prompt or ready to act; acting, or able to act, with speed or rapidity.
-
#21
I know this thread dried up a long time ago, but as I’ve just been wrestling with this question at work, I’ll throw my ideas into the ring.
It strikes me that ‘quick’ is used to describe time spans that are/seem shorter than expected. ‘Fast’ describes physical speed. Adverbial use should follow this pattern too.
So I could drive from New York to Connecticut by going all the way around the border of the United States at two hundred kilometers an hour. It would take me a long time, but I would be going fast.
Or I could drive straight there, by the shortest route, at five kilometers an hour. I would be going slowly, but arrive more quickly.
I could say, «The car was fast, so the journey was quick.»
So when people say, «Today went really fast,» they should be saying ‘quickly’.
-
#22
I’ve looked under the table, behind the door and beneath my handbook for writers but failed to find any reference for a grammar rule to explain fast and quick. My lacking grammar rule holds that if it ain’t in the book it must be colloquial. I can’t see the difference in meaning between fast on the draw and quick on the draw; yet, quick on the draw has the colloquial edge. As it is with a quick drink or a fast drink but quick drink has become the preferred usage. A quick learner is probably as bright as a fast learner but we say that he learned fast as often as quickly. The ideas we get could arrive fast as a flash or quick as a flash and we would choose quick. It is as difficult to use fast as an adverb as it is to use quick. But we would say «He was speeding fast and not speeding quickly.»
-
#23
Many things are not covered in books, and those are the things that it is interesting to speculate about. That’s kind of the point of the forum.
We don’t say ‘fast drink’ because that would refer to physical speed, and might result in spilling beer down your shirt. We say ‘quick drink’ because we’re in the pub for a relatively short time. We say quick on the draw because the period between reaching for the gun and pulling the trigger is shorter. There are often overlaps, of course. A quick learner is someone who reaches proficiency sooner. A fast learner is someone who performs the process of learning at high speed. Do they amount to the same thing in this case? Maybe. That is why they might be considered interchangeable. But not always.I think your examples fit the pattern I suggested, colloquial or otherwise.
And in making my suggestion, I went against my own instinct, which is that ‘fast’ as an adverb sounds clumsy and uneducated. It may or may not be correct, but I’ve never felt comfortable with it.
-
#24
I know this thread dried up a long time ago, but as I’ve just been wrestling with this question at work, I’ll throw my ideas into the ring.
It strikes me that ‘quick’ is used to describe time spans that are/seem shorter than expected. ‘Fast’ describes physical speed. Adverbial use should follow this pattern too.
So I could drive from New York to Connecticut by going all the way around the border of the United States at two hundred kilometers an hour. It would take me a long time, but I would be going fast.
Or I could drive straight there, by the shortest route, at five kilometers an hour. I would be going slowly, but arrive more quickly.
I could say, «The car was fast, so the journey was quick.»
So when people say, «Today went really fast,» they should be saying ‘quickly’.
In a test for Total English Elementary by Mark Foley and Diane Hall there is the following task:
Write the adverb
9 Be quick — run ………..
The answer is: run fast.
Would it be totally wrong if I used the adverb «quickly»: run quickly?
I have understood so far that fast is for a physical action, and quickly is more time related, e.g. read the text quickly rather than read it fast.
Last edited: Nov 14, 2011
-
#25
In a test for Total English Elementary by Mark Foley and Diane Hall there is the following task:
Write the adverb
9 Be quick — run ………..
The answer is: run fast.
Would it be totally wrong if I used the adverb «quickly»: run quickly?
Not at all.
«Here comes the bus. Run quickly!»
«I chased him with the cane, but he ran quickly round the room.»
«He ran quickly and broke the world record.»
I would not use «fast» in any of these sentences.
-
#26
Thank you, Andy, for your comment. It’s very interesting.
-
#27
Since ‘fast’ relates to the speed, do you say «You’re speaking too fast» or «you’re speaking too quickly»? I’d use ‘fast’, but google gives more hits with ‘quickly».
-
#28
Since ‘fast’ relates to the speed, do you say «You’re speaking too fast» or «you’re speaking too quickly»? I’d use ‘fast’, but google gives more hits with ‘quickly».
They both relate to speed. Both versions are used in normal speech and writing. My preference is quickly.
-
#29
You’re speaking too fast vs you’re speaking too quickly
They both relate to speed. Both versions are used in normal speech and writing. My preference is quickly.
You say it’s the same, but can quickly here mean without much thought, I could perhaps give this person advice to think a bit before speaking?
Last Updated: Dec 30, 2019
How many words exactly are in the English language? The second edition of the current 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 words in current use. That’s a lot! Which gets the mind thinking the next question, what’s the longest word in current use today?
Many of the longest words in the dictionary refer to medicine or chemistry. You’ll find a few defined in here along with other long words that you may or may not already use. Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines the ten longest words in the English language.
1. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters)
Pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust.
2. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (36 letters)
Ironically, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest work in the dictionary and is the name for a fear of long words! Who would have thought, right?
3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 letters)
Perhaps the best word of all! Made popular by the film Mary Poppins, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is something to say when you have nothing to say.
4. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (30 letters)
A relatively mild form of pseudohypoparathyroidism that is characterized by normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.
5. Floccinaucinihilipilification (29 letters)
The longest unchallenged nontechnical word that not all directories recognize, that including Merriam-Webster. According to alternative sources, floccinaucinihilipilification is the act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant, of having no value or being worthless. Often times, it is used in a humorous way.
Free Speed Reading Class – Click Here To Register
6. Antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters)
A term referring to a political movement in 19th century Britain that sought to separate church and state. In this case, political movement wanted to disestablish the Church of England as the official state church of England, Ireland and Wales.
7. Honorificabilitudinitatibus (27 letters)
The longest word in Shakespeare’s works. Honorificabilitudinitatibus is the longest word in the English language featuring alternating consonants and vowels.
8. Thyroparathyroidectomized (25 letters)
A medical term that defines the excision of both the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
9. Dichlorodifluoromethane (23 letters)
A chlorofluoromethane CF2Cl2.
10. Incomprehensibilities (21 letters)
Impossible to comprehend. In the 1990’s, incomprehensibilities set the record as the longest word “in common usage.”
LONGEST ENGLISH WORD:Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl…isoleucine (189,819 letters)
If we’re talking chemistry, the longest chemical name is 189,819 letters long. It is the chemical name for titin, a giant filamentous protein essential to the structure, development, and elasticity of muscle. As to whether or not this is an actual word is disputed by many. It is not in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, so you shouldn’t ever have to worry about spelling it. ?
There are several reasons why you may be asking how many words a minute the average person speaks (you can get an estimate on how long it will take to say what you have written with WordCounter’s Speaking Time” detail). You may just be curious and enjoy trivia. You may have to make a speech and you want to get an idea of how long your presentation should take. Maybe you’ve been told you talk to fast or too slowly, and you’re wondering what speed you should be shooting at. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to want to know how fast the average person speaks, but the actual answer isn’t black and white.
It’s never satisfying when you ask a question wanting a straight forward answer only to get “That depends” as the answer, but there are a lot of details that have an impact on this question. For example, if English is your first language, you probably speak faster than the average second-language English speaker. If you’re excited, hurried or nervous, you’ll also tend to speak faster. On the other hand, if you’re very relaxed, tired or bored, you speak more slowly. Even regional differences exist. Fast-moving New Yorkers speak faster than other Americans.
Having said that, there really is an average speaking speed. Most people speak at an average speed of four to five syllables per second. Most words are two to three syllables long, giving you the answer that the average person speaks approximately 100 – 130 words per minute. A professional voice over artist usually uses 150 to 160 words per minute. An auctioneer, on the other hand, does a rapid fire 250 to 400 words per minute. Those, however, are exceptions. When you’re just having a chat, you’ll usually speak at a rate of 110 to 130 words per minute. This number can be important to know if you are ever in the position to give a speech.
How many words does the average person say per day?
Just to take this to the next level, let’s look at how many words the average person says per day. Assuming that you have a job where you work with other people, the number of words you speak every day ranges from 7,000 to 20,000. Assuming you’re just using a chatty tone and aren’t an auctioneer, you probably spend 18 to 180 minutes a day talking.
As you might expect, men use fewer words than women do, but you might be surprised to know both men and women use the same number of “meaningful words” to communicate something important. In other words, women tend to use more ‘filler words’ when they speak than men.
Does your speaking speed really matter?
Although you probably shouldn’t focus on your spoken word count per minute, you won’t be a good speaker if you speak either too slowly or too fast. Have you ever listened to a presentation by someone whose words just seem to tumble out in a rapid-fire way? It can be difficult to keep up with them or to remember what they said. On the other end, slow speakers can rapidly become boring as they drone on and on. The mind wanders, and once again, the message doesn’t come across as it should.
Listen to radio talk show hosts. You’ll notice that the speed they’re talking varies depending on what they are talking about and what mood they are conveying. They vary both speed and tone to keep listening interesting. Although most people do this automatically, you may have to teach yourself if you’re a naturally speedy or naturally slow talker – especially if you have to speak in public.
Although listening to a recording of your own voice is many times a bit of a weird feeling, it’s the only way you can really understand what your talking speed is like from a listener’s perspective. Try it, decide how you can improve, and then record yourself again and listen to the playback.
Talking speed and the power of words
Listen to powerful speakers who have their audiences on the edge of their seats. The speed they use adds to the power of the words they say. When they talk fast, you can feel the urgency and excitement. When they slow down, you can sense that something momentous is being said. You’ll also ‘hear’ the punctuation marks as they pause between phrases or adjust the tone of their voices. Timing and delivery are an art that not everyone can master, but if we pay attention, there’s no reason we can’t improve.
(Photo courtesy of Brisbane City Council)