Study finds which US states have the fastest and slowest talkers

Some of the results made the TODAY team speechless.

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It's not what you say, it's the speed at which you say it, at least according to one recent study that ranks U.S. states by speech rates.

On TODAY Jan. 24, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Craig Melvin learned which states have the fastest speaking residents and which have the slowest talkers across the U.S.

Preply, an online language learning platform, analyzed two studies based on YouTube videos and call recordings to make up the report's findings — and some of the results left the co-hosts speechless.

Minnesota took home the gold as the state with the fastest talking residents, clocking in at 5.34 syllables per second, followed by Oregon, Iowa, Kansas and North Dakota.

The fact that New Yorkers, who are often stereotyped as fast talkers, didn't make the shortlist stunned Savannah, and she didn't even try to hide her surprise.

People crossing Minneapolis' famous Stone Arch Bridge in Minnesota.Jim Kruger / Getty Images

"How is that possible?" Savannah asked after Hoda read the verdict out loud on TODAY.

"I just can't believe it's not in the top five," Savannah said of New York, which ranks 37 out of all 50 states. She went on to give a prime example of feeling rushed in New York City — when one is in the “most stressful situation” of ordering sandwich.

However, Al mentioned people from New York City might talk differently than people who live upstate.

"That's a good point," Craig added.

As for the slowest talking states, Louisiana, where Hoda used to work, came in first, with Craig’s home state of South Carolina coming in second, Mississippi in third, Alabama in fourth and Georgia in fifth.


Couple on a balcony in New Orleans, Louisiana.Jupiterimages / Getty Images

When discussing how South Carolina made it so far up the list, Craig said, "We're never in a hurry down there."

"Because it's God's country," Al added.

"There you go!" Craig agreed.