EulogyApp

How to write a eulogy for your friend

You were chosen, not assigned - and that is worth saying.

The short answer

How long:
A eulogy for your friend usually runs three to five minutes spoken, which is about 500 to 800 words.
Structure:
Open by saying who you were to them, carry the middle with two specific stories, and close on one line you can say and then stop.
The one thing:
Specific beats comprehensive. One story told properly does more than a list of virtues, every time.
If you cannot finish it:
Asking someone else to read it for you is common and entirely acceptable. Tell the funeral director beforehand.

Start with your friend

Free to start. No account needed. Your draft saves as you type.

What makes this one hard

The family has the claim to grief; you have the stories they never heard. A friend's eulogy works best when it does not compete with the family's loss but adds the version of the person only friends saw.

Questions worth answering first

Answer these on paper, badly, before you try to write anything that sounds like a eulogy.

  • How did the friendship start, and was it unlikely?
  • What did you do together that nobody else would have found fun?
  • What did they say to you at the worst moment of your life?
  • What did the family not know about them?

The shape that works

  1. Gather specifics, not adjectives. Write down concrete details before you write a single sentence of the eulogy. One real moment is worth a paragraph of praise.
  2. Choose a tone and a length. Decide how it should sound and how long you can speak for. Four to six minutes, around 500 to 800 words, suits most services.
  3. Shape it into three parts. An opening that says who you are to them, a middle carrying the stories, and a closing line you can say out loud and then stop.
  4. Read it aloud and cut. Read it standing up. Anything you stumble over, cut. Print it in large type, or use a reader that scrolls at your pace.

Questions people ask

Where do I stand relative to the family?

Acknowledge them early and briefly - one sentence - then speak as the friend. The family asked you because they want the part they do not have.

How long should a friend speak for?

Three to four minutes. Shorter than a family member, and that is appropriate.