How the typing test measures speed
Typing speed is counted in words per minute (WPM). Real words have different lengths, so typing tests use a standard word instead: every 5 characters count as one word. Spaces and punctuation are characters too, so “the cat “ is 8 characters, or 1.6 words.
This test shows two speeds and an accuracy score:
- Gross WPM is your raw speed: everything you typed, right or wrong.
- Net WPM is your usable speed. Only correct characters count, and each mistake you leave in costs one whole word. It never goes below zero.
- Accuracy looks at every key you pressed along the way. A typo you fix with Backspace no longer hurts your net speed, but it still lowers accuracy, because you had to spend time fixing it.
A worked example
You take the 1-minute test. When time runs out, the box holds 285 characters. Of those, 280 match the text and 5 are still wrong:
- Gross WPM = 285 ÷ 5 ÷ 1 = 57
- Net WPM = (280 ÷ 5 − 5) ÷ 1 = 56 − 5 = 51
Along the way you pressed 320 keys, and 304 of them were right when you pressed them. The other 16 were typos, and you fixed most of them. Your accuracy is 304 ÷ 320 × 100 = 95%. Typing the same amount on the 2-minute test would give half the WPM, because the minutes double.
What is a good typing speed?
| Net WPM | Rough level |
|---|---|
| under 30 | Beginner |
| 30–49 | Average |
| 50–69 | Above average |
| 70–89 | Fast |
| 90 and over | Very fast |
Treat these bands as a rough guide, not a grade. A large 2018 study by researchers at Aalto University and the University of Cambridge looked at about 168,000 volunteers who took an online typing test. Their average was about 52 WPM. People who choose to take a typing test may be faster than average, so many everyday typists sit lower. On phones, speeds are usually slower than on a full keyboard.
Which difficulty should you pick?
- Easy uses short, common words and simple sentences with almost no punctuation. It is good for warming up and for learning to type without looking at the keys.
- Medium is everyday writing with capital letters, commas and apostrophes, much like emails and school work.
- Hard adds numbers, quotes, brackets, semicolons, hyphens and symbols such as $ and %. It feels like typing a budget, a recipe or a set of instructions.
All passages are original texts written for this test, in plain characters that every keyboard can type. Each test strings several passages together in a random order, so there is always more text than you can type in the time.
Tips to type faster
- Accuracy first. Every uncorrected error costs a full word of net speed, so slowing down a little often raises your score.
- Use all ten fingers. Rest your fingers on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;) and let each finger look after its own keys.
- Look at the screen, not your hands. It feels slow at first, but it is the only way to get much faster.
- Read ahead. Keep your eyes a word or two in front of the one you are typing.
- Practise little and often. Ten minutes a day beats an hour once a week. Try the same duration each time so your results are comparable; your best score for each duration is saved in this browser.
- Sit comfortably. Keep your wrists straight, your shoulders relaxed and the screen at eye level.
Fair results
The timer starts with your first key, so you can read the opening line first. Paste and drag-and-drop are turned off, and the passage cannot be selected, so every result comes from real typing. Phone keyboards often swap straight quotes for curly ones; the test treats them as the same character, so iPhone and Android users are not penalised. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; the test runs entirely in your browser.
Want to see how long your own writing is? Paste it into the word counter, or check it against a social media limit with the character counter. Need a quick random pick for who types next in class? Spin the wheel spinner.