1. Speech recognition apparatus comprising: means for converting audio speech into electroninc signals; means for diverting the incoming speech up along a time line into an array of sequential word states based on the content of the speech, each word state having a time period; means for classifying each word state as one of a plurality of classifications based on the content of the speech during the corresponding time period; means for determining the duration of the time period corresponding to each word state within the array of incoming word states and for using the determined durations to provide an array of durational values corresponding to the word states of the incoming word state array; means for providing a plurality of stored templates representing the vocabulary of the speech recognition apparatus; each template being comprised of two arrays; the first array being a sequence of stored word states each state being classified as one of said plurality of classifications; the second array being a sequence of values indicating the duration of a corresponding stored word state; first comparing means for comparing the classifications of incoming word states with said first array of each of said templates to locate matching states; second comparing means for comparing the duration of each incoming word state with the duration of the corresponding stored word state only where the classifications of the word states match; and means responsive to both of said comparing means for determining which of said templates is the closest match to said array of incoming word states and said array of durational values.