What Is a Good Typing Speed?
A good typing speed is generally considered to be 60 to 80 words per minute (WPM), which is comfortably above the average of around 40 WPM. Professional typists and fast office workers often reach 100 WPM or more, while a beginner using a few fingers might type closer to 20 to 30 WPM. What counts as good really depends on your goals, but if you can type faster than you can think a sentence through, you are in great shape.
Speed on its own is only half the picture, though, because a fast typist who makes constant mistakes is not actually productive. This guide explains what the numbers mean, how WPM is measured, why accuracy matters just as much as raw speed, and the practical steps that will make you faster. You can measure your own speed anytime with our free Typing Test.
What the WPM numbers mean
The average typing speed for an adult is roughly 40 WPM. That is enough for everyday tasks like emails and messages, but it can feel slow if you type for a living. Reaching 60 to 80 WPM is a solid, professional level that keeps your typing from being a bottleneck.
Speeds above 100 WPM are genuinely fast and put you in the territory of professional typists, transcribers and competitive typists. The very fastest people in the world can sustain well over 150 WPM in bursts, but that level is rare and not something most people need to aim for.
How WPM is measured
Words per minute is not counted in literal words, because words vary in length. The standard convention is to define one word as five characters, including spaces. So if you type 250 characters correctly in a minute, that counts as 50 words, giving you 50 WPM.
Most typing tests, including our Typing Test, ask you to type a passage of text and then calculate your speed from how many characters you got through in the time. Because the five-character rule is used almost everywhere, your score is comparable across different tests and tools.
Why accuracy matters as much as speed
Raw speed can be misleading. Every mistake you make has to be found and corrected, and backspacing to fix errors costs time and breaks your rhythm, so a sloppy fast typist is often slower in practice than a steady accurate one. This is why good typing tests report both your gross speed and your accuracy.
Many tests also show net WPM, which subtracts the cost of errors from your raw speed to give a more honest figure. Aiming for high accuracy, ideally above 95 percent, will usually improve your effective speed more than simply trying to type faster and hoping the mistakes do not add up.
What affects your typing speed
Several things influence how fast you type. Touch typing, using all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard, is by far the biggest factor; hunt-and-peck typists rarely break past 40 WPM. Familiarity with the specific text matters too, since common words flow faster than technical terms, code or numbers.
Your keyboard, posture and how tired you are all play a part as well. A comfortable keyboard with keys you know well lets your fingers move confidently, whereas an unfamiliar layout or a cramped position slows everyone down. Reaction time also plays a small role in how quickly your fingers respond, something you can explore with our Reaction Time Test.
How to improve your typing speed
The single most effective change is to learn proper touch typing, keeping your fingers on the home row and letting each finger cover its assigned keys. It feels slow at first and may even drop your speed for a week or two, but it removes the ceiling that hunt-and-peck typing imposes.
After that, consistent short practice beats occasional marathons: a few focused minutes most days builds muscle memory faster than a rare long session. Prioritise accuracy first and let speed follow, and retest yourself regularly so you can see progress. Our Typing Test is designed for exactly this kind of quick, repeatable check.
Test your own speed
The best way to know where you stand is simply to measure it. Take our Typing Test to get your WPM and accuracy on a real passage, then use that as your baseline to improve from.
If you enjoy measuring finger and reaction performance more broadly, our CPS Test counts how many clicks per second you can manage, and our Reaction Time Test measures how quickly you respond to a visual cue. Together they give a fuller picture of your speed and responsiveness at the keyboard and mouse.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed in WPM?
A good typing speed is around 60 to 80 words per minute, which is well above the average of about 40 WPM. Professional and competitive typists often exceed 100 WPM. You can check your own speed with our free Typing Test.
What is the average typing speed?
The average adult types at roughly 40 words per minute. That's fine for everyday use, but reaching 60 to 80 WPM is a more professional level that keeps typing from slowing you down.
How is words per minute calculated?
One word is standardised as five characters, including spaces, rather than counting literal words. So typing 250 correct characters in a minute equals 50 words, or 50 WPM. This rule makes scores comparable across different tests.
Is typing speed or accuracy more important?
Both matter, but accuracy often has the bigger effect on real productivity because correcting mistakes costs time and breaks your rhythm. Many tests report net WPM, which subtracts errors, so aiming for accuracy above 95 percent usually improves your effective speed.
How can I type faster?
Learn proper touch typing with all ten fingers, practise for a few focused minutes most days, and prioritise accuracy before speed. Retesting regularly with a tool like our Typing Test helps you track progress and stay motivated.
What counts as a fast typing speed?
Sustaining 100 WPM or more is genuinely fast and typical of professional typists. The world's fastest typists can exceed 150 WPM in bursts, but most people don't need to reach that level to type comfortably and productively.