What's a Good Typing Speed? WPM Averages Explained
Gizke Team · Published · Reading time: 3 minutes
The average typing speed is about 52 words per minute: that is the mean a study of 168,960 people found (Dhakal et al., Aalto University, 2018). There is no official "good" score; a useful benchmark is whether you are above that average and whether your accuracy stays high. To find your own number, take the free Gizke typing test: it runs in your browser and shows WPM, raw WPM and accuracy as soon as you finish.
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What the 52 WPM average is based on
The figure comes from "Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes", a paper presented at the CHI 2018 conference by researchers from Aalto University and the University of Cambridge (doi:10.1145/3173574.3174220). They analysed typing tests from 168,960 volunteers who typed English sentences on a physical keyboard. The mean speed was 51.56 WPM.
Two things to keep in mind when you compare yourself with it:
- It is an average, not a target. Whether a speed is "good" depends on what you need it for.
- The sample was self-selected. People who choose to take an online typing test may type more than average, so the general population could be a bit slower.
If a job advert or an exam asks for a specific speed, that requirement is the one that matters: check how they test it (duration, whether errors are subtracted) and practise under the same conditions.
How WPM and accuracy are calculated
Typing tests do not count real words, because "a" and "extraordinary" would then be worth the same. Instead:
- One word = five characters, spaces included. Typing 250 correct characters in one minute is 50 WPM.
- WPM in the Gizke test counts only correctly typed words and the space after them, so mistakes cost speed.
- Raw WPM counts everything you typed, mistakes included. A big gap between raw WPM and WPM means errors are slowing you down.
- Accuracy is correct keystrokes divided by all keystrokes. A typo you fixed with Backspace still counts against it.
- CPM (characters per minute) is shown as well and is the main figure for Chinese and Japanese, where a "word" is only one or two characters long.
How to take the test
- Open the typing test and pick a mode: a timer of 15, 30, 60 or 120 seconds, or a fixed number of words.
- Turn on punctuation if you want the text to include capitals and punctuation marks, like real writing.
- Start typing; the clock starts with your first keystroke.
- Read your WPM, raw WPM and accuracy at the end. For progress tracking, always use the same mode; 60 seconds is a good default.
If some keys do not register or the same letter appears twice, check your hardware with the keyboard tester before blaming your fingers.
How to type faster
- Slow down to be accurate. Every error costs the time to notice it, delete it and type it again. Raise your speed only once accuracy is consistently high.
- Learn touch typing. Keep your fingers on the home row (ASDF and JKL;) and stop looking at the keyboard. It may feel slower at first.
- Practise little and often. Short daily sessions are easier to keep up than one long session a week. A timer keeps sessions short.
- Type real text. Copying a paragraph from a book or your own notes trains the words you actually use. The word counter tells you how long the text you typed is.
- Fix your posture. Wrists level, screen at eye height, keyboard close enough that your elbows are relaxed.