Typing Speed Test
Type the passage as fast and accurately as you can. 60 seconds.
0 WPM
100% accuracy
60s
Try a different duration
Different lengths suit different goals. Pick the typing test that matches what you're practicing for:
- 15 second typing test — quick warm-up
- 30 second typing test — daily-practice favourite
- 1 minute typing test — the universal standard
- 2 minute typing test — fatigue-aware
- 3 minute typing test — pre-employment standard
- 5 minute typing test — certification standard
- 10 minute typing test — endurance training
How to take the typing test
Click into the typing area above and start typing the displayed passage. The timer starts on your first keystroke and runs for 60 seconds. Your words per minute (WPM) and accuracy are calculated live and finalised when the timer ends.
How fast is fast? Typing speed benchmarks
Most adults type between 38 and 45 WPM on a standard keyboard. Here's where you sit on the curve:
| WPM | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20 | Hunt-and-peck | Looking at the keys to find each letter |
| 20–40 | Beginner touch typist | Knows home-row positions, slow but accurate |
| 40–60 | Average | Where most office workers land |
| 60–80 | Above average | Productive for most knowledge work |
| 80–100 | Fast | Top quartile of office workers |
| 100–120 | Very fast | Professional transcriptionist territory |
| 120+ | Elite | Top 1%; competitive typists |
| 200+ | World-class | Steno keyboard, not standard QWERTY |
The current world record for one-minute QWERTY typing on a standard keyboard is 216 WPM, held by Sean Wrona. Stenography (using a chord keyboard) goes higher still — court reporters routinely sustain 225+ WPM for hours.
How WPM is calculated
"Words per minute" doesn't actually count words — it counts 5-character blocks. This standard exists because real words vary in length: "I" and "encyclopedia" both count as one word, but they take very different amounts of time to type. The 5-character convention normalises the metric.
The formula:
WPM = (correct characters typed / 5) / minutes elapsed
So 300 correct characters typed in one minute = 60 WPM. Errors don't count toward the total — only correctly typed characters increment the score, which is why a fast-but-sloppy typist scores lower than a moderate-pace accurate one.
Accuracy vs speed
Below 95% accuracy, raw speed becomes meaningless because you spend so much time backspacing. The fastest path to a higher WPM almost always runs through accuracy first:
- Slow down deliberately until you hit 98% accuracy.
- Hold that accuracy while gradually increasing speed.
- If accuracy drops, slow down again — never trade off the wrong way.
This is counter-intuitive but reliably the fastest route. The same principle applies to musical instruments and handwriting: accuracy compounds, sloppiness doesn't.
Tips to improve typing speed
1. Touch type — eyes on screen, not keys
Hunt-and-peck caps your speed around 30 WPM no matter how much you practise. Touch typing — placing fingers on the home row (ASDF / JKL;) and learning each key's assigned finger — unlocks 60+ WPM with practice.
2. Maintain home-row position
Right index finger on J. Left index finger on F (the bumps help you find them by feel). All other fingers fall into place. Return to home row after every reach. The discipline pays off as a 30%+ speed gain over time.
3. Practise daily, not weekly
Typing is muscle memory. Fifteen minutes a day for two weeks beats a single 3-hour session. Use a typing trainer like Keybr, monkeytype, or 10FastFingers between tests here.
4. Drill your weak letters
After each test, look at which letters slowed you down or caused errors. Most typists have 3–5 problem letters that account for half their errors. Targeted drills on those letters yield disproportionate improvement.
5. Don't look at the keyboard
Even glancing at the keyboard breaks the flow and forces re-orientation. Cover the keys with a cloth or use a blank-cap keyboard for a week — accuracy will dip, then return higher than before.
6. Use proper finger assignments
Q = left pinky. P = right pinky. T = left index. Y = right index. The chart is on every typing tutor — learn it once.
7. Type more words you actually use
Typing a passage from your own writing for 5 minutes a day will improve your real-world speed faster than any random-word drill. You're training the patterns you'll actually type.
Typing speed by profession
| Profession | Typical WPM | Floor for the role |
|---|---|---|
| Office assistant / admin | 50–70 | 40 WPM |
| Software developer | 50–80 | 30 WPM (mostly thinking, not typing) |
| Writer / journalist | 60–80 | 40 WPM |
| Customer support | 50–70 | 40 WPM |
| Data entry | 70–90 | 50 WPM |
| Transcriptionist | 80–100 | 60 WPM |
| Court reporter (stenography) | 225+ | 180 WPM |
More tools for writers and typists
- Word Counter — see how much you actually produce per session.
- Pomodoro Timer — structured 25-minute typing sprints.
- Blog: How to improve your typing speed — deep dive on practice routines.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good typing speed?
For general office work, 60+ WPM at 95%+ accuracy is comfortable. For writing-heavy roles (journalism, content marketing), aim for 70–80. Below 40 you'll feel keyboard-bound; above 100 you're outpacing your thinking on most tasks.
Is touch typing worth learning as an adult?
Yes. Most adults double their typing speed within 2–4 weeks of focused practice. The compounding return — every email, doc, and chat message faster for the rest of your career — is one of the highest-ROI skills available.
Why is my WPM lower than my friend's on the same passage?
WPM = correct characters / 5 / minutes, so accuracy and average word length both matter. A passage with longer words (like "encyclopedia") will give a higher WPM than one with shorter words at the same speed in keystrokes. Use the same passage to compare fairly.
Does the typing test work on mobile?
On-screen keyboards have very different ergonomics, so the WPM you score on mobile isn't comparable to a physical-keyboard score. We do display a mobile-friendly version, but real benchmarks should be done on a real keyboard.
How is accuracy calculated?
Accuracy = correct characters / total characters typed × 100. Backspaces don't "undo" the error in the score — what counts is how many characters you committed correctly the first time.
How long should the test be?
60 seconds is the standard short-format test and gives a reasonable speed reading. For a stable measure of your true WPM, take three 60-second tests and average them, or do a single 5-minute test.
Does typing practice prevent RSI?
Proper technique can reduce risk: neutral wrists, light keystrokes, frequent breaks. But typing speed itself is not protective — and pushing through pain to gain WPM is a fast track to injury. If your wrists hurt, slow down and see an ergonomist.