What is a good typing speed?

Typing speed is measured in words per minute (WPM), where a "word" is counted as five characters, including spaces. That convention is what makes speeds comparable between tests: a result on one site means the same as a result on another, as long as both count this way. There is more detail in how WPM is calculated.

Typing speed benchmarks

These are rough bands for typing ordinary English text, not a scientific distribution — but they match what most typing tests and most typists report.

• Under 30 WPM — beginner. Usually looking at the keyboard, or using a few fingers.
• 30–40 WPM — around the average for someone who types daily without having learned to touch type.
• 40–60 WPM — comfortable and above average. Enough that typing rarely gets in the way.
• 60–80 WPM — a confident touch typist. Typing keeps up with thinking for most tasks.
• 80–100 WPM — fast. Common among people who write or code all day and have practised.
• 100+ WPM — very fast, the territory of enthusiasts and competitive typists.

What speed do you need for a job?

Jobs that list a requirement usually ask for something in the range of 40 to 60 WPM, with higher figures for transcription and data-entry roles. Employers who test typing almost always test accuracy too, and a fast result with a lot of errors reads worse than a slower, clean one.

Accuracy matters more than speed

At 95% accuracy, one keystroke in twenty is a mistake. Each mistake costs you the wrong key, a backspace, the right key, and the pause while you notice — so a small drop in accuracy costs more time than a small drop in raw speed. Good tests report net WPM, which only counts correct characters, for exactly this reason.

As a working target: aim for at least 97% accuracy before you push speed. Above that, speed follows.

Why the number changes from test to test

Short tests are noisy. A 15-second test can swing by ten words per minute depending on which words come up. For a number you can trust, take a 60-second test a few times and look at the average. Text with capitals, punctuation or numbers will always be slower than plain lowercase words.

Getting to the next band

Moving up one band usually takes a few weeks of short daily practice. The fastest route is not typing more — it is finding the specific keys that slow you down and practising those. Our guide on how to type faster walks through the method, and the Keyshand test names your slowest keys at the end of every run.