How long should a eulogy be?

A eulogy is usually between three and seven minutes long. Five minutes is a comfortable length for a single speaker: long enough to tell the story of someone's life and share a couple of memories, and short enough that you can get through it when you're emotional.

The right length for you depends on the service. The most important thing to do is ask the celebrant, minister or funeral director how much time you have, before you start writing.

Eulogy length in words and pages

Most people speak at about 130 words a minute at a funeral, a little slower than normal conversation. That gives these rough figures:

Pauses make a difference. If you stop to collect yourself a few times, a 650-word eulogy can easily take six minutes. It's worth leaving a little room for that.

How much time the service allows

At a crematorium

Crematoriums in the UK usually book services in slots of between 30 and 60 minutes, and that slot includes people coming in, the music, any readings, the committal and people leaving. There may be another funeral straight after yours. If there are two or three speakers, each might have between three and five minutes. Some crematoriums offer a double slot if the family needs more time.

At a church

Church funerals often last 45 minutes to an hour, and there's usually more flexibility. Even so, the vicar or priest will have a view on how long tributes should be. Catholic funeral Masses traditionally keep personal words brief.

At a memorial or celebration of life

These are often held weeks after the funeral, at a venue with no time slot. Several people may speak, and each tribute can be a little longer. Even so, most people find that a room full of guests starts to lose focus after about 30 minutes of speeches in total.

If more than one person is speaking

When there are several speakers, agree the time for each beforehand and share out the ground. One common split is:

• The main eulogy, covering the life story, from a son, daughter or partner, lasting four to six minutes
• One or two shorter tributes from a friend, grandchild or colleague, lasting two to three minutes each

Swap drafts so you don't tell the same story twice. There's more on shorter tributes in our guide to funeral speeches.

How to time your eulogy

Read it aloud, standing up, at the pace you'd use in a large quiet room, and time it with your phone. Most people read faster at home than they will on the day, so if it comes in at exactly your limit, trim it a little.

If you're using a word count, remember that it's only a guide. Short sentences with pauses between them take longer to say than the same number of words in a long sentence.

How to shorten a eulogy

Cutting is hard, because every memory feels important. These are usually the easiest places to start:

• The life story. Keep the key moments and drop the list of every job and house move.
• Repeated points. If two stories show the same quality, keep the stronger one.
• Long lists of names. Thank groups of people, such as "all the nurses on Ward 12", instead of each person.
• Explanations. If a story is funny or moving on its own, you don't need to say why afterwards.

Anything you cut can still be shared. You could print it in the order of service, put it on a memory table at the wake, or tell it when people are together afterwards.

For help with the writing itself, read how to write a eulogy, or see how different lengths sound in our eulogy examples.