What Is the Average Typing Speed? WPM Benchmarks
Short answer
A large online study of 168,000 volunteers by researchers at Aalto University found an average typing speed of about 52 words per minute, with the top 10% above roughly 78 WPM and the slowest 10% below about 26 WPM. Around 40 WPM is a commonly quoted figure for the general population. For most office work, 40–60 WPM with high accuracy is comfortable; 70+ WPM is fast.
Typing speed matters more than ever: emails, reports, chat, coding and online forms all run through a keyboard. Knowing where you stand helps you set a realistic goal, whether you are a student, a job seeker preparing for a typing test, or someone who simply wants to spend less time on email. Here is what the research and common benchmarks say, and how speed is measured.
How typing speed is measured
Typing speed is usually given in words per minute (WPM). Because real words vary in length, typing tests use a standard “word” of five characters, including spaces. So typing 250 characters in one minute counts as 50 WPM, regardless of the actual words.
- Gross (raw) WPM counts everything you typed, including mistakes.
- Net WPM counts only correct characters, or subtracts a penalty for errors. This is the number that matters.
- Accuracy is the percentage of characters typed correctly.
The typing speed test shows net speed, raw speed, accuracy and mistakes, with 30-second, one-minute and two-minute tests.
What the research says
In 2018, researchers led by Aalto University in Finland published one of the largest studies of typing, “Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes”, based on 168,000 volunteers who took an online typing test. Key findings included:
- The average speed was about 52 WPM (51.56), with a standard deviation of about 20 WPM, so most people fell roughly between 30 and 70 WPM.
- The fastest 10% typed faster than about 78 WPM; the slowest 10% were below about 26 WPM.
- People who had taken a typing course averaged slightly faster than those who had not (about 54 versus 49 WPM), a smaller gap than many expect.
- Faster typists tended to make fewer errors and often pressed the next key before releasing the previous one (“rollover”).
Volunteers who choose to take an online typing test may type more than average, so the general population may be a little slower. That is one reason the often-quoted figure of around 40 WPM is still a sensible reference point.
Typing speed benchmarks
| Speed | Level | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 WPM | Beginner | Often hunt-and-peck; practice will help a lot |
| 25–40 WPM | Below average to average | Fine for casual use |
| 40–60 WPM | Average to good | Comfortable for most office and study work |
| 60–80 WPM | Fast | Above most people; great for writing-heavy jobs |
| 80–100 WPM | Very fast | Professional typist territory |
| 100+ WPM | Exceptional | Competitive typists |
These bands are a practical guide, not an official standard.
Typing speed for jobs
Employers that test typing usually look at net WPM and accuracy together. Requirements vary widely, but administrative and data-entry roles often ask for something in the 40 to 60 WPM range, while transcription and some legal or medical roles may expect more. Always check the specific job listing, and practise with the same test length the employer uses, since short tests tend to produce higher scores than long ones.
Accuracy matters more than speed
A fast typist who makes many mistakes spends the saved time correcting them. Aim for at least 95% accuracy before pushing for speed. If your accuracy drops below that, slow down. Speed builds naturally once your fingers know the keyboard.
How to type faster
- Use all ten fingers with your fingers resting on the home row (ASDF and JKL;).
- Look at the screen, not the keyboard. It feels slower at first but pays off quickly.
- Practise little and often. Ten to fifteen minutes a day beats an hour once a week; one Pomodoro session is a perfect practice block.
- Check your posture: wrists level, screen at eye height, feet flat.
- Track your progress with the same test length each time.
Our full guide on how to improve typing speed has a practice plan and drills.
Typing speed and everyday tasks
To put WPM into perspective: at 40 WPM, typing a 500-word essay (about one single-spaced page, see how many words is a page) takes roughly 12.5 minutes of pure typing; at 60 WPM it takes about 8 minutes. Thinking and editing take longer than typing, but faster typing keeps up with your thoughts. Check your text length with the word counter.
Typing on phones
Thumb typing on a touchscreen is a different skill from keyboard typing, and the benchmarks above are for physical keyboards. Autocorrect and word prediction make phone typing faster than it would otherwise be, but for long documents most people are still quicker and more accurate on a physical keyboard. If you type a lot on a tablet, a cheap Bluetooth keyboard can make a big difference.
Test yourself
Take a one-minute typing test to get your baseline, then retest weekly. For a fun comparison of other quick skills, try the reaction time test and the ideas in brain games and skill tests.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average typing speed?
A study of 168,000 online volunteers found an average of about 52 WPM. Around 40 WPM is a commonly quoted average for the general population.
Is 60 WPM a good typing speed?
Yes. 60 WPM is above average and comfortable for almost any office job, as long as accuracy is high.
How is WPM calculated?
Typing tests count every five characters, including spaces, as one word, then divide by the test time in minutes. Net WPM counts only correct characters.
What typing speed do jobs require?
It varies. Many administrative and data-entry roles ask for around 40 to 60 WPM, and transcription roles may expect more. Check each job listing.
How long does it take to improve typing speed?
With 10 to 15 minutes of daily practice, many people see noticeable gains within a few weeks, especially if they switch from hunt-and-peck to touch typing.