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Fact · Dictation for work and study

9,180words per hour

At the 153 words per minute that Ruan et al. measured for English speech input on a phone, one hour of continuous dictation would produce about 9,180 words.

Checked against its source on October 16, 2026

What it measures: This is a ceiling for sustained speaking of short phrases in a quiet room. It leaves out the time spent thinking what to say and the time spent editing the transcript.
How it is calculated: 153 words per minute x 60 minutes = 9,180 words

Calculated from

In a controlled study on an iPhone, English text entered by speech reached 153 words per minute, against 52 words per minute on the built-in keyboard, 2.93 times faster.

Cited on

Writing a Book by Dictation: Software and WorkflowGuide

Speech at 153 words per minute: 9,180 words an hour | Yap