Edmonton is the quickest speaking city in Canada, averaging 211 words per minute (WPM), according to a study conducted by online language training platform Preply. “Many of us will have been told that we speak too quickly or slowly, as different speech rates are perfectly normal,” said Preply writer Kal Withana in a blog post. “Most of the time, they won’t even be noticeable.”Withana said Edmonton’s WPM is attributed to two of the podcasts Preply analyzed — Edmonton Elks and Edmonton Sports Talk — being about sports. He added it is “no secret that discussing a sport can rouse excitement and enthusiasm, which could have contributed to Edmonton’s speedy speech.”Ottawa came in second place (191 WPM). This could be because one of the podcasts Preply analyzed was Locked on Senators, and it is true talking politics can cause people’s pulses to start racing. He went on to say Winnipeg finished in third place (189 WPM). Witchpolice Radio was one of the examples it delved into, suggesting conversations about music have the ability to stimulate people and impacts the speed at which they talk. Calgary came in fourth place (181 WPM). One of the podcasts it analyzed was University of Calgary — Now Innovating, where different researchers have the opportunity to speak about their chosen subjects. On the other hand, he said Preply crunched the numbers and found Toronto was the slowest talking city in Canada (149 WPM). One of the podcasts it analyzed was from the City of Toronto, where people discuss different city initiatives and local government schemes in a slow, careful manner. Brampton, ON, was the second slowest speaking city (153 WPM). APC Brampton TV was one of the podcasts it studied, which focuses on subjects that are often discussed slowly such as biblical discussions, cultural debates and Christianity. Continuing the trend of Ontario cities being slow talkers was Mississauga, ON (168 WPM). Hope Church Mississauga was discovered to contain 148 WPM, while the Chris Cucoch Audio Experience had a more impressive 189 WPM. After Mississauga was Vancouver (170 WPM). This could be because it analyzed two different real estate podcasts — the Vancouver Real Estate Podcast and Retail Nightmares — which could be associated with drama and fast-paced conversations. When it came to provinces, he said Alberta took the top spot for fastest talking people (196 WPM). He admitted this is unsurprising, as Edmonton is located in Alberta and is the fastest talking city. Manitoba earned second place (189 WPM). Known as one of the Prairie Provinces, Manitoba has plenty to talk about with its luscious grasslands, lowlands and plains. Quebec fell into third place (172 WPM). French is one the fastest spoken languages in the world and is used by most Quebecers. British Columbia finished in fourth place (170 WPM). Nestled within BC is Vancouver, with people speaking about its stunning coastal scenery, impressive diversity and culture and its gateway to the icy plains of Alaska. Withana concluded by saying it is “clear that there are many influential factors when it comes to how quickly or slowly somebody speaks.”“A recent article highlighted that, no matter where you are from, talking about something that makes you excited can cause you to speak faster to convey that,” he said.Preply took a seed list of the ten most populated Canadian cities and delved into YouTube data to analyze speech rates. By analyzing the transcripts of videos from local news stations and podcasts, the team was able to calculate the average words said per minute for each city.
