How to use the speech timer
- This online speech timer runs in your browser. Pick a preset, from 1–2 min to 8–10 min, or Custom for your own marks (keys 1 to 6 work too).
- Press Start or the spacebar when the speaker begins. Contest rules start timing at the speaker’s first definite word or gesture.
- Press Stop or the spacebar when the speech ends. The result shows below the time, such as “6:42 · Within”.
- Press Save to log or S, type the speaker’s name if you like and press Enter.
- Press Fullscreen or F on a second screen so the speaker sees the light.
Timing lights explained
The lights follow the usual club pattern: green at the minimum time, yellow at the midpoint and red at the maximum. Red stays on until the speech ends. In a Toastmasters-style contest for a 5–7 minute speech, green comes at 5:00, yellow at 6:00 and red at 7:00, the speech qualifies between 4:30 and 7:30, and no signal is given for overtime (Speech Contest Time Record Sheet, Item 1175, revised 10/2024). HugeTimer is not affiliated with Toastmasters International.
Some speakers can’t easily tell green from red. That’s why every light also shows its name, and the three lamps carry the letters G, Y and R, an idea the clubs’ own magazine suggests for timing cards (The Timer’s Toolkit).
Presets: 1–2, 2–3, 4–6, 5–7 and 8–10 minutes
| Preset | Green | Yellow | Red | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 min | 1:00 | 1:30 | 2:00 | Impromptu speaking |
| 2–3 min | 2:00 | 2:30 | 3:00 | Speech evaluations |
| 4–6 min | 4:00 | 5:00 | 6:00 | Short talks |
| 5–7 min | 5:00 | 6:00 | 7:00 | Prepared speeches |
| 8–10 min | 8:00 | 9:00 | 10:00 | Longer speeches and presentations |
The 1–2, 2–3 and 5–7 marks match the contest sheet; 4–6 and 8–10 follow the same pattern. For anything else, choose Custom: an 11-minute speech could use 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00. Presets lock while a speaker’s time is on screen, so a stray tap can’t change the rules mid-speech.
Speaker view: color only
Set Display to Color only and the panel drops the digits and captions, keeping just the phase word and the lamps. Speakers who watch the numbers tend to rush; a color tells them enough. Red stays on without an overtime count, as contest rules expect. You, the timer, still see the running time in the tab title.
The speaker log and CSV
After each speaker, press Save to log to add a row with the name, time and result: Under before green, Within up to red plus the grace period, Over after that. With 5–7 minutes and 30 seconds of grace, 7:30 is Within and 7:31 is Over. Copy CSV puts the whole log on your clipboard, with the columns number, speaker, time, result, seconds and logged at; paste it into any spreadsheet. Names stay in this browser.
Timing a speech by word count
Wondering how long your draft will run? Read it aloud with the timer counting up. Or time the first 200 words and scale: if 200 words take 1:30, 1,000 words take about 7:30. We don’t give a words-per-minute figure, because speaking rates differ from person to person.
Options explained
- Count: Up (default) or Down to red, which shows the time left until red, then +0:05 overtime.
- Display: Time + color (default) or Color only.
- Grace after red: 30 s (default), 15 s or 0 s.
- Sound: Off (default) or Buzzer (once), a single buzz when the speech turns Over. Press Test sound to hear it.
- Theme and Keep screen on work as on every HugeTimer page.
How it works
The speech timer counts like a stopwatch: it stores the moment you press Start and shows the time since then, so a hidden tab or a busy laptop never loses seconds. The lights follow that elapsed time, and the next color change is scheduled for its exact second. Results are decided on whole seconds, so the time in the log, the caption and the result always agree. For a meeting clock on the wall, the clock shows the time of day.
Tips and limits
- Turn a second screen, TV or tablet towards the speaker and press Fullscreen; the whole screen takes the color.
- On iPhone the timer fills the browser window rather than the whole screen; add the page to your Home Screen for more room.
- Keep the screen on and the page open. A locked phone may pause the page.
- Sound needs one tap or click on the page first.
- For a talk with a fixed slot and warnings near the end, the 10 minute timer counts down instead.
Excel and Google Sheets are trademarks of their owners; HugeTimer is not affiliated with them.
FAQ
What do the green, yellow and red lights mean?
Green means the speaker has reached the minimum time, yellow marks the midpoint, and red means the maximum has arrived and it's time to finish. Red stays on until you stop the timer. Each light also shows its name and a lettered lamp, G, Y or R, so nobody has to tell the colors apart.
Which limits should I use for a 5–7 minute speech?
Use the 5–7 min preset: green at 5:00, yellow at 6:00 and red at 7:00. In Toastmasters-style contests the speech qualifies between 4:30 and 7:30, according to the official time record sheet (Item 1175, revised 10/2024). HugeTimer is not affiliated with Toastmasters International.
Can it count down instead of up?
Yes. In Settings, set Count to Down to red. The digits then show the time left until the red light, such as 2:48, and after red they count the overtime as +0:05. The lights, the log and the Under, Within and Over results work exactly the same in both directions.
How do I hide the numbers from the speaker?
Set Display to Color only in Settings. The panel then shows only the phase word and the G, Y and R lamps, with no digits, next mark or overtime count to distract the speaker. As the timer, you still see the time in the tab title, and screen readers still hear it.
What is the grace period?
The grace period is extra time after red that still counts as Within. The default is 30 seconds, so at 5–7 minutes a 7:30 speech is Within and 7:31 is Over. Choose 0, 15 or 30 seconds under Grace after red. This log counts any time before green as Under.
Can I export the meeting's times?
Yes. Press Copy CSV under the speaker log and paste into Excel, Google Sheets or any spreadsheet. You get one row per speaker with the number, name, time, result, the time in seconds and when it was logged. The log keeps up to 100 speakers and stays in this browser only.
Does it make any sound?
Not unless you ask for it. The speech timer is silent by default, because a beep in the middle of a speech is a distraction. In Settings you can set Sound to Buzzer (once): a single buzz plays at the first second the speech counts as Over, and nothing before that.
Can I time an 11-minute speech?
Yes. Choose Custom and type the three marks, for example green at 9:00, yellow at 10:00 and red at 11:00. Any marks from 0:05 to 99:59 work, as long as yellow comes after green and red after yellow. The speech timer remembers your custom marks for next time.
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