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About This Calculator
Typing speed is measured in words per minute and is a key professional skill that affects productivity in virtually every office job. The average person types around 40 WPM, while professional typists exceed 70 WPM and court reporters surpass 200. This tool provides a timed typing test that measures your WPM, accuracy percentage, and error count to help you track improvement over time.
Quick Tips
- 1 Average typing speed is 40 WPM; professional typists reach 65-75 WPM.
- 2 WPM is calculated as (characters typed / 5) divided by minutes elapsed.
- 3 Accuracy matters more than speed — 95%+ accuracy should be the first goal.
Example Calculation
384 characters typed in 60 seconds with 3 errors.
Gross: 76.8 CPM / 15.36 WPM | Net WPM: 12.36 | Accuracy: 99.2%
How Typing Speed Is Measured
Typing speed is measured in Words Per Minute (WPM). A "word" is standardized as 5 characters (including spaces) to normalize results across different texts. Gross WPM measures raw speed: (characters typed / 5) / (time in minutes). Net WPM accounts for errors: Gross WPM minus (errors / minutes). Net WPM is a better indicator of practical typing ability.
Typing Speed Benchmarks
Average typing speed is 40 WPM. Professional typists reach 65-75 WPM. Data entry specialists and transcriptionists often type 80-100 WPM. The fastest typists in the world exceed 200 WPM in short bursts. For most office work, 50-60 WPM with high accuracy is sufficient. Speed without accuracy is counterproductive due to time spent correcting errors.
Improving Your Typing Speed
Touch typing (typing without looking at the keyboard) is the foundation of fast typing. Focus on accuracy first, then gradually increase speed. Practice regularly with typing tutors for 15-30 minutes daily. Learn proper finger placement on the home row (ASDF JKL;). Ergonomic keyboard positioning and good posture also contribute to sustained typing speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
For general purposes, 40-50 WPM is average and sufficient for most tasks. 50-70 WPM is considered good and adequate for most office jobs. 70-100 WPM is fast and suitable for data entry or transcription roles. Above 100 WPM is professional-level speed.
Gross WPM measures raw typing speed without considering mistakes. Net WPM subtracts errors from the gross speed, giving a more realistic measure of practical typing ability. Net WPM is always equal to or less than gross WPM.
Accuracy is calculated as (total characters typed minus errors) divided by total characters typed, multiplied by 100. For example, typing 300 characters with 5 errors gives (300-5)/300 x 100 = 98.3% accuracy. Professional typists maintain 97%+ accuracy.
The 5-character standard was established to normalize typing speed across different languages and texts. Some words are short (like "a" or "it") while others are long (like "establishment"). Using 5 characters as a standard "word" makes speed comparisons fair regardless of the text content.