Podcast Measurement Database
We measured the five most recent episodes of each show so you can compare speech rate and vocabulary difficulty as numbers. Each row shows the average together with the range across episodes.
4 shows · 20 episodes measured / All 4 shows · 20 episodes measured
6 Minute English
BBC Learning English
Speech rate: Fast Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000): Moderate Average length: 6 min or more
- Speech rate
- 161.7 wpm 145.4–180.4
- Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000)
- 86.6% About 11.5 words in 100 fall outside the NGSL
- Average length
- 6.4 min
- Measured
- 5 · September 24, 2026 – October 22, 2026
Statistics only (no text stored) / Measured from the official transcript
Episode-by-episode numbers
| Date | Episode | Rate (wpm) | Speech rate | NGSL 1k / 2k / full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why do we itch? | 145.4 | 163.2 | 77.4 / 82.1 / 83 | |
| Why does heartbreak hurt so much? | 163.6 | 177.4 | 80.5 / 87.3 / 90 | |
| Are people drinking less alcohol? | 180.4 | 201.3 | 83.9 / 87.4 / 89.4 | |
| Why has gold got so expensive? | 153 | 174.7 | 78.9 / 88.5 / 90 | |
| What should you eat for a better night’s sleep? | 166.2 | — | 82 / 87.9 / 90.3 |
Learning English from the News
BBC Learning English
Speech rate: Moderate Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000): Moderate Average length: 6 min or more
- Speech rate
- 149.6 wpm 138.3–158.8
- Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000)
- 85.1% About 13.1 words in 100 fall outside the NGSL
- Average length
- 7.1 min
- Measured
- 5 · September 23, 2026 – October 21, 2026
Measured from automatic transcription
Episode-by-episode numbers
| Date | Episode | Rate (wpm) | Speech rate | NGSL 1k / 2k / full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI and trade: Will US and China agree? | 151.5 | 176.3 | 80.7 / 83.8 / 85.3 | |
| Young people's mental distress is real, according to the head of a new review in the UK | 154.7 | 184 | 80.3 / 86 / 88 | |
| French school protests | 144.6 | 176.5 | 79.2 / 85 / 86.7 | |
| Deadly Saudi airport attacks | 138.3 | 173.7 | 78.3 / 83.1 / 85.1 | |
| Why are young people protesting around the world? | 158.8 | 189.5 | 80.9 / 87.7 / 89.2 |
The English We Speak
BBC Learning English
Speech rate: Fast Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000): Gentle Average length: Under 3 min
- Speech rate
- 167.1 wpm 146.7–185.4
- Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000)
- 90.3% About 8.7 words in 100 fall outside the NGSL
- Average length
- 2.2 min
- Measured
- 5 · September 22, 2026 – October 20, 2026
Measured from the official transcript
Episode-by-episode numbers
| Date | Episode | Rate (wpm) | Speech rate | NGSL 1k / 2k / full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same person, different font | 146.7 | 180.1 | 84.7 / 90.2 / 90.8 | |
| In a tizzy | 185.4 | 226 | 86.5 / 90.6 / 91.3 | |
| Sack something off | 175.7 | 213 | 82.6 / 86.3 / 89.1 | |
| Try one's patience | 148.1 | 150.2 | 82.2 / 88.7 / 89.5 | |
| Leave to one's own devices | 179.8 | 179.8 | 85.6 / 95.5 / 95.8 |
Words and Their Stories
VOA Learning English
Speech rate: Slow Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000): Gentle Average length: 3–6 min
- Speech rate
- 106.3 wpm 101.6–116.6
- Vocabulary (NGSL top 2,000)
- 90.4% About 7 words in 100 fall outside the NGSL
- Average length
- 3.5 min
- Measured
- 5 · February 20, 2025 – March 13, 2025
Measured from automatic transcription
Episode-by-episode numbers
| Date | Episode | Rate (wpm) | Speech rate | NGSL 1k / 2k / full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Importance of Being ‘Dialed In’ | 103.4 | 124.4 | 83.7 / 90.2 / 93 | |
| How to 'Dish Up' Something Good | 116.6 | 149 | 85.6 / 94 / 94.8 | |
| Green Means Spring and Other Things | 101.6 | 124.7 | 85 / 88.8 / 91.6 | |
| 'Watching the Grass Grow' Is Not Fun | 105.5 | 127.3 | 85.6 / 90.1 / 94.2 | |
| What Does It Mean 'To Mushroom'? | 104.2 | 129 | 84.4 / 89 / 91.2 |
No shows match these filters.
How we measure
Speech rate (wpm) is the word count of the programme itself, excluding ads and promos, divided by its length in minutes, pauses included. Speech rate, where shown, uses only the time actually spent speaking as the denominator.
Vocabulary coverage is the share of the programme’s words found in the top 1,000, top 2,000, or full 2,801 words of the NGSL (New General Service List). Higher means more of the show is covered by core vocabulary.
Figures are averages over five episodes per show. A show’s character can drift over time, so we list the measured period and the data update date alongside. We do not convert the numbers into CEFR or other level scales.
Citing this data
If you quote figures from this page, please link back to it as the source. The canonical record is each show’s measurement article together with the data on this page.