Podcasts That Talk the Fastest
Ever wondered which podcasts talk the fastest, or slowest? Well, we did. At Ridealong, a podcast player that helps you find great podcasts to listen to, we are obsessed with all the hidden factors that make for a great listen, based on your specific preferences. So we're analyzing words per minute spoken by top podcasts. Below, take a look at the fastest talking podcasts, the slowest talking podcasts, and talk speed broken down by podcast category and political lean.
Average WPM by Category
We wanted to see whether podcast genre affects speaking pace. You might expect comedy hosts to talk faster — riffing, interrupting, piling on jokes — while political commentators slow down to frame arguments carefully. The data broadly confirms that intuition, but there are surprises: sports podcasts are right up there with comedy, and business shows lead the pack.
WPM by Political Lean
Do left-leaning, right-leaning, and centrist political podcasts talk at different speeds? We broke down WPM across political podcasts to find out. The differences are subtle, but they're there.