What is WPM? Understanding your typing speed
WPM — words per minute — is the standard measure of typing speed. It tells you how fast you can type accurately, and it is the number employers, schools and typing tutors use to grade skill.
How WPM is measured
The standard definition counts five characters (including spaces) as one 'word'. So gross WPM is your total characters typed divided by five, then divided by the minutes elapsed. Net WPM subtracts your errors, so it reflects usable output rather than raw speed.
These two numbers matter. Someone typing 90 WPM with twenty mistakes per minute is far less productive than someone typing 70 WPM almost perfectly.
What is a good typing speed?
The average person types around 40 WPM. A competent office worker sits between 50 and 70. Professional typists, programmers and transcriptionists often reach 80–100 WPM, and competitive typists exceed 120.
- 0–30 WPM: beginner, still searching for keys.
- 40–60 WPM: average, comfortable for everyday work.
- 70–100 WPM: fast, typical of professionals.
- 120+ WPM: competitive typing.
How to measure and improve your speed
Open the Typing Speed Test and type the sample text. The tool reports your WPM, accuracy, correct keys and error count, so you can see precisely where you lose speed. Retest regularly to track progress.
To improve, focus on accuracy first — speed follows — and learn to touch type without looking at the keyboard. Track how much text you produce over time with the Word Counter; writing volume and typing speed improve together with regular practice.