University of Arizona – But over more than a decade, the decline has been significant. Between 2005 and 2019, researchers found a 28 percent decline in the number of words people spoke per day. (Representational image: Freepik) There’s a quiet change happening in the way people communicate, and it may also change the way we connect with each other.

New research shows that, on average, people speak less than they used to, losing hundreds of spoken words every day without even noticing. A study published last month in SAGE Journals by researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Arizona found that daily interactions have been in steady decline over the years. Since 2005, the average person has been speaking about 338 fewer words every day than the previous year.

Over time, this adds up to a staggering number, about 120,000 fewer words spoken per person each year. In real terms, this could mean thousands of missed conversations, fewer shared moments, and fewer face-to-face interactions.