Lincoln-Douglas (LD) is a one-on-one debate format focused on values and philosophy. It is one of the most widely competed individual debate events in US high school competition, governed by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). This guide covers the complete speech order, prep time rules, and how to time an LD round.
Shared prep pool, two-device sync, all 7 speeches preloaded. No signup.
Open LD timer →| # | Speech | Side | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Affirmative Constructive (AC) | AFF | 6:00 |
| 2 | Negative Cross-Examination of Aff | CX | 3:00 |
| 3 | Negative Constructive (NC) | NEG | 7:00 |
| 4 | Affirmative Cross-Examination of Neg | CX | 3:00 |
| 5 | 1st Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR) | AFF | 4:00 |
| 6 | Negative Rebuttal (NR) | NEG | 6:00 |
| 7 | 2nd Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR) | AFF | 3:00 |
Prep time: 4 minutes per debater, distributed freely across the round. Each debater draws from their own pool and may use it before any of their speeches.
Prep time in Lincoln-Douglas is a shared pool — each debater has 4 minutes total and can use it in any combination before any of their speeches. There is no per-speech limit. A debater might use 3 minutes before the NC and 1 minute before the NR, or all 4 minutes in a single block.
The judge tracks prep time separately for each debater. When a debater calls for prep, the judge starts the clock. When the debater indicates they are ready, prep stops and the remaining time is noted.
DebateClock handles this automatically — the prep pool for each side counts down independently and saves state between speeches.
Cross-examination periods are 3 minutes each. During CX, the questioner asks questions and the respondent answers. Neither debater may use prep time during cross-examination. Cross-examination is not a speech — it does not count toward either debater's speaking time.
The 1st Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR) is widely considered the hardest speech in LD. The affirmative has only 4 minutes to respond to the 7-minute NC plus the 6-minute NR, a combined 13 minutes of negative material. Efficient line-by-line refutation and strategic prioritization are essential.