A study investigated the effect of pausing, a component of speech speed, on the listening comprehension of second language learners. Groups of subjects at two ability levels listened to taped versions of two brief lectures recorded with four different combinations of speed and pausing conditions. Comprehension was measured by means of cloze tests with exact and acceptable word scoring. Statistical analysis of the results consistently showed significant main effects for ability, an interaction effect between pausing and ability in two instances, and no significant effects involving speed. While the findings do not strongly confirm the expectation that pausing aids comprehension, and subjects' comments suggest that too long a pause or too slow a speed may create boredom, it is concluded that there is reason for teachers to use pausing judiciously in the classroom to approximate normal speech. A brief bibliography is included. (MSE)