Words per minute (WPM) counts every five typed characters, including spaces, as one word. Accuracy matters as much as raw speed for real work, because corrections cost more time than they appear to.
What Is a Good Typing Speed? Average WPM
Quick answer: A good typing speed is around 60–70 words per minute (WPM), while the average adult types about 40 WPM. Professional typists hit 70–100+, and competitive records exceed 200 WPM. Accuracy matters as much as raw speed.
Find your own number: open the typing speed test and type the passage as accurately as you can.
What counts as a good typing speed
Typing speed is measured in words per minute (WPM), where a "word" is standardised as five characters. As a benchmark, the average typist manages around 40 WPM, a good speed is roughly 60–80 WPM, and professional typists and fast touch typists reach 100 WPM or more. Where you land depends on how you type: people who hunt and peck with a couple of fingers tend to sit below average, while trained touch typists who use all ten fingers without looking reach the higher figures. Measure yours on the typing test to see your current WPM and accuracy.
Speed is only half the story
Raw speed means little without accuracy. This is why typing tests report two numbers: gross WPM, your raw speed before mistakes, and net WPM, your effective speed after errors are subtracted. A blazing gross speed riddled with typos produces a poor net result, because every mistake costs time to fix. A typist doing 70 WPM at 99% accuracy is more productive than one hitting 90 WPM at 90%, since the second spends so long correcting. That's why accuracy is the foundation to build on first — consistent, correct typing is what real-world speed is actually made of.
What affects your typing speed
Several things shape how fast you type. Technique is the biggest: touch typing with all ten fingers from the home row beats hunting and pecking by a wide margin. Familiarity with the keyboard layout and the words you're typing matters — typing common text is faster than unfamiliar technical terms or numbers. Your keyboard plays a part too: a comfortable, responsive keyboard with good key travel can be faster and less tiring than a cramped or mushy one. And simple practice builds the muscle memory that turns conscious effort into automatic motion. None of these requires talent — they all respond to consistent use.
How typing speed is measured
A typing test gives you a passage to type and times you, then calculates WPM from the number of correct characters entered. Because the standard word is five characters, typing 300 correct characters in a minute equals 60 WPM. Good tests also track your accuracy percentage and often show which keys or words slow you down. For a fair result, type naturally at a sustainable pace rather than sprinting — your consistent speed over a full passage reflects real-world typing far better than a short burst. Retesting over time on the typing test is the clearest way to see genuine improvement.
Typing speed by use and profession
How fast you need to type depends on what you do. For everyday use — emails, messages, browsing — the 40 WPM average is perfectly workable, and there's no pressure to be faster. Office and admin work flows more comfortably at 50–70 WPM, where typing keeps pace with your thinking rather than holding it back. Data entry and transcription roles often expect 60–80 WPM or more with high accuracy, since output is the job. Programmers are an interesting case: raw WPM matters less than accuracy and comfort with symbols and numbers, because thinking, not typing, is usually the bottleneck. And students are fine around 40–50 WPM for note-taking and essays. The honest takeaway is that "good enough" is whatever keeps typing from slowing down your actual work — for most people that's somewhere in the 50–70 range, not record territory.
Sources: MDN — KeyboardEvent.key · MDN — performance.now()
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Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed?
The average is around 40 WPM, a good speed is roughly 60–80 WPM, and professional or fast touch typists reach 100 WPM or more. Touch typing with all ten fingers is what gets people into the higher ranges.
What is the average typing speed?
Most people type around 40 words per minute. Those who hunt and peck with a few fingers tend to be slower, while trained touch typists who use all ten fingers without looking reach 60–100 WPM or beyond.
Is typing speed or accuracy more important?
Accuracy is the foundation. Tests report gross WPM (raw speed) and net WPM (after errors), and mistakes cost time to fix — so 70 WPM at 99% accuracy beats 90 WPM at 90%. Build accuracy first, and speed follows.
How is typing speed measured?
A test times you typing a passage and counts correct characters, where five characters equal one word — so 300 correct characters a minute is 60 WPM. Good tests also show your accuracy percentage and the keys that slow you down.
What typing speed do I need for a job?
It varies by role. General office work flows well at 50–70 WPM, while data entry and transcription jobs often expect 60–80 WPM or more with high accuracy. For most jobs, accuracy and comfort matter as much as raw speed.
Is 100 WPM fast?
Yes. 100 WPM is well above the 40 WPM average and into fast touch-typist territory — quicker than most people will ever need. Professional typists reach it, but for everyday and office use, 60–80 WPM is already very comfortable.
How can I increase my words per minute?
Learn to touch type with all ten fingers, prioritise accuracy over raw speed, and practise a little daily with real text. Speed grows naturally as the movements become automatic — chasing a higher number before you're accurate just ingrains errors.
Does the keyboard affect typing speed?
It can, mostly through comfort. A responsive keyboard with key feel you like can be faster and less tiring over long sessions, but technique and practice matter far more — a trained touch typist is quick on almost any decent keyboard.
Test it yourself: Typing Speed Test
Gross WPM, net WPM, and why two tests disagree
Two typing tests can give you very different numbers for the same performance, and the reason is almost always which WPM they report. Gross WPM counts every character you typed: total characters divided by five, divided by the minutes elapsed. The division by five is the standard definition of a "word" in typing measurement, chosen because five characters plus a space is the long-run average in English.
Net WPM subtracts your mistakes: gross WPM minus errors per minute. This is the figure worth tracking, because it is the one that reflects usable output. A run at 80 gross WPM with 8 uncorrected errors in a one-minute test is 72 net WPM, and the gap widens as speed rises — error rate typically grows faster than speed does once you push past your comfortable pace.
Two consequences follow. First, compare like with like: a 60 WPM result from a test reporting gross is not the same achievement as 60 WPM from a test reporting net. Second, accuracy below about 95 per cent costs you more than slowing down would. If your accuracy is under that threshold, deliberately typing slower will usually raise your net WPM within a few sessions.