Fact · Typing and writing speed
655words per minute
Sean Shannon's Guinness record recitation of the 260-word Hamlet soliloquy ran at 655 words per minute.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“This means that Sean spoke at a rate of 655 words per minute!”
Can you recite Hamlet's 'to be or not to be' soliloquy quicker than the fastest talker?, Rachel Swatman, Guinness World Records, 2018, Article body.
Open the original- What it measures
- Shannon recited the soliloquy in 23.8 seconds at a 1995 event, and Guinness lists it as the fastest talker (English) record.
- What it does not show
- A memorized recitation of a short text, timed once. It is a record for a short burst, not a speaking rate anyone holds for a talk.