Average Typing Speed and What Counts as a Good WPM

What the research says

The largest public study of typing, published at the CHI 2018 conference by researchers from Aalto University and the University of Cambridge, analysed 136 million keystrokes from roughly 168,000 volunteers. Their average speed was about 52 WPM, with a very wide spread: the fastest typed well over 100 WPM. Because volunteers for an online typing test lean towards practised typists, the general population is usually estimated a little lower, around 40 WPM.

One interesting finding: some of the fast typists did not use the classic ten-finger method. What they shared was consistency, and "rollover", starting the next key before releasing the last. Structured touch typing is still the most reliable route there, because it gives every key one fixed movement.

Typing speed chart

WPM	Level	What it usually means
Under 20	Beginner	Still looking at the keys or learning letter positions.
20 to 30	Learning	Knows the keyboard, but typing still takes attention.
30 to 40	Everyday	Typical of self-taught hunt-and-peck typists.
40 to 55	Good	Comfortable for school and office work; around the average.
55 to 70	Fast	Faster than most people; typing no longer slows thinking.
70 to 90	Very fast	Typical for professional typists and heavy writers.
90 and up	Expert	Competitive and transcription speeds.

Accuracy matters as much as speed. Aim for at least 95%: below that, the time spent correcting mistakes eats most of the gain.

How WPM is calculated

Why a "word" is five keystrokes. Typing speed ignores real word lengths: every 5 characters, spaces included, count as one word. Here are the first 30 characters of a sentence, chopped the way a WPM counter sees them:

the␣quick␣brown␣fox␣jumps␣over = 6 "words"

Characters typed: 250

Uncorrected errors: 8

Time: 60 s

Gross WPM = (250 ÷ 5) ÷ 1.00 min = 50.0

Net WPM = ((250 − 8) ÷ 5) ÷ 1.00 min = 48.4

Accuracy = (250 − 8) ÷ 250 = 96.8%

Move the errors slider: each uncorrected mistake costs one character, so at the same pace, sloppier typing scores lower. Some tests penalise harder by subtracting whole words per error; ours counts only correct characters.

To convert WPM to characters per minute (CPM), multiply by five: 40 WPM is 200 CPM. For ten-key data entry, speed is usually quoted in keystrokes per hour (KPH): multiply keystrokes per minute by 60.

How long to get from average to fast?

Gains are fastest early. Learners going from hunt-and-peck to touch typing often dip for a week or two, then pass their old speed within a month of short daily practice. After that, a few WPM per month is a realistic pace. See how to type faster for the habits that help most.

FAQ

What is the average typing speed?

A large 2018 study by Aalto University and the University of Cambridge, based on 136 million keystrokes from about 168,000 volunteers, measured an average of about 52 words per minute. Figures around 40 WPM are often quoted for the general population, since people who volunteer for typing tests tend to be keen typists.

What is a good WPM?

Around 40 WPM is a solid everyday speed and a common benchmark for office work. 60 WPM and above is fast, and 80 WPM or more is typical of professional typists and transcriptionists.

What is a good typing speed for a child?

It varies with age and practice. A rough goal is a few words per minute per school year, so a 10-year-old typing 15 to 25 WPM accurately is doing well. Accuracy and correct fingering matter more than speed at that age.

How is words per minute calculated?

By convention one word equals five characters, including spaces. Divide the characters typed by five, then divide by the minutes taken. Net WPM uses only correctly typed characters.