What this test measures
Words per minute is a normalised measure: one word is defined as five characters including the space, so WPM does not depend on how long the words in the sample happen to be. This test reports net WPM, which counts only correctly typed characters, alongside raw WPM, which counts everything you typed regardless of whether it was right.
The gap between those two numbers is the useful part. A large gap means you are typing faster than your accuracy can support, and in real work that speed is illusory because the time goes back into corrections. Most people produce their best net WPM at roughly 96 to 98 percent accuracy rather than at maximum raw speed.
Average scores
| WPM | Level | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | Beginner | Hunt and peck, looking at the keys |
| 25 – 40 | Below average | Some touch typing, frequent glances down |
| 40 – 55 | Average | The band most adults sit in |
| 55 – 70 | Good | Comfortable professional speed |
| 70 – 90 | Fast | Top 10%, trained touch typist |
| 90 – 120 | Very fast | Transcription and competitive range |
| 120+ | Elite | Roughly the top 0.1% |
| Role | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| General office work | 40 – 50 WPM |
| Administrative and data entry | 55 – 70 WPM |
| Programming | 45 – 65 WPM |
| Transcription | 75 – 90 WPM |
| Court reporting (stenotype) | 200+ WPM |
How to improve your score
- Learn the home row and stop looking down. Touch typing is the single largest gain available. It feels slower for about two weeks and then permanently overtakes hunt and peck, usually by 20 WPM or more.
- Slow down until your accuracy reaches 97%, then speed back up. Typing at 60 WPM with 90% accuracy is slower in practice than 50 WPM with 98%, once backspacing is counted. Build the accuracy first and the speed follows.
- Keep your wrists floating, not resting on the desk. Anchored wrists force finger extension to reach the top row. Floating hands let you move the whole hand slightly, which is faster and much easier on the tendons.
- Practise the words you actually type. The most common 200 English words make up roughly half of ordinary text. Drilling those specific words produces more real-world speed than drilling random letter sequences.
- Use a keyboard with consistent, comfortable actuation. Key travel and force affect sustainable speed. There is no single best switch, but a keyboard you can type on for an hour without fatigue beats a faster one you cannot.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed?
Around 40 to 45 WPM is average for an adult. 60 WPM is comfortably good and covers almost any office requirement. Above 80 WPM puts you in roughly the top 5% of people who take typing tests.
What is the average typing speed?
Most adults type between 38 and 45 words per minute. Trained touch typists average 65 to 75. The figure varies with the test length: shorter tests generally produce higher numbers because fatigue never sets in.
What is the difference between WPM and raw WPM?
Raw WPM counts every character you typed. Net WPM counts only the correct ones. Net WPM is the honest number, and the difference between the two tells you whether accuracy is limiting you.
Is 60 WPM good?
Yes. 60 WPM is above average and sufficient for nearly all professional work. It puts you above roughly three quarters of people who take a typing test.
How long does it take to improve?
Most people gain 10 to 15 WPM within a month of daily fifteen-minute practice, provided they are touch typing. Progress after 80 WPM slows considerably and comes mostly from reducing hesitation on uncommon words.
Does the test work on a phone?
Yes. Tap the text area to raise the keyboard and type normally. Mobile scores run substantially lower than desktop scores, so compare phone results only against other phone results.