How long should a eulogy be

Most eulogies are five to seven minutes long. That is roughly 700 to 1,000 spoken words on a page. The reasons are mostly practical and partly emotional.

The math of speaking

Most people speak at about 130 to 150 words per minute when reading aloud. A five-minute eulogy is around 700 words. A seven-minute one is around 1,000. If you write longer, you will run over, and the service after you will run late.

The emotional reason

A eulogy is hard to deliver. The longer it is, the more chances your composure has to slip. A tight, focused eulogy is easier to get through, and easier for the room to hold. If you are worried about composure, our piece on how to read a eulogy without crying has practical guidance from how chaplains do it. The room is also doing the work of grieving, and even five minutes can feel long when everyone is crying.

Why shorter often beats longer

A shorter eulogy forces you to make every sentence earn its place. The audience leaves remembering one or two true things. The bad outcome is not a too-short eulogy. The bad outcome is a list of accomplishments that no one quite remembers an hour later.

If there are multiple speakers

Coordinate with the family. If three siblings are speaking, three to four minutes each is plenty. If one child speaks for everyone, seven minutes is fine. The total program usually has room for ten to fifteen minutes of eulogy in total.

What to do if you have written too much

For a sense of what fits inside one, two, and three minutes, see our short eulogy examples, which include three original drafts at those lengths. And if you need the full step-by-step, our main how to write a eulogy guide walks through structure and questions that help. Cut, do not summarize. Pick the one or two stories that carry the most. Save the rest for the reception, where you can tell them to smaller groups one at a time. Many of the best stories from a life are told at the reception, not at the lectern.